IR 05000390/2026303
| ML26091A207 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Watts Bar  (NPF-090, NPF-096) |
| Issue date: | 04/02/2026 |
| From: | Matthew Endress NRC/RGN-II/DORS/OB |
| To: | Reneau W Tennessee Valley Authority |
| Shared Package | |
| IR 2026303 | List: |
| References | |
| IR 2026303 | |
| Download: ML26091A207 (0) | |
Text
SUBJECT:
WATTS BAR NUCLEAR PLANT - NOTIFICATION OF LICENSED OPERATOR INITIAL EXAMINATION 05000390/2026303 and 05000391/2026303
Dear William C. Reneau:
In a telephone conversation on March 24, 2026, between Mr. Michael Petersen, Operations Training Examination Lead, and Mr. Kevin Kirchbaum, Senior Operations Engineer, arrangements were made for administration of an NRC Written-only operator licensing retake examination for two applicants at Watts Bar Nuclear Plant. The written examination retake will be administered the week of August 31, 2026.
As agreed during the telephone conversation, your staff will prepare the written-only examination based on the guidelines in Revision 12 of NUREG-1021, "Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors." The NRCs regional office will discuss with your staff any changes that might be necessary before the examination is administered.
To meet the above schedule, Mr. Kirchbaum provided the written examination outline to your staff on March 31, 2026. The written examination, and supporting reference materials identified in NUREG-1021, Examination Standard (ES)-2.1, Preparing for Operator Licensing Initial Examinations, will be due by June 29, 2029. Pursuant to Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 55.40(b)(3), an authorized representative of the facility licensee shall approve the examinations before they are submitted to the NRC for review and approval. All materials shall be complete and ready-to-use.
We request that any personal, proprietary, sensitive unclassified, or safeguards information in your response be contained in a separate enclosure and appropriately marked. Delays in receiving the required examination and reference materials, or the submittal of inadequate or incomplete materials, may cause the examinations to be cancelled or rescheduled.
To conduct the requested written examinations, it will be necessary for your staff to provide adequate space and accommodations in accordance with ES-4.3, Administering Written Examinations. ES-1.2, Guidelines for Taking NRC Examinations, contains several NRC guidelines for the written examinations and operating tests as they are being administered.
Your staff has also agreed to make copies of all examination materials that are necessary for administering the examination.
April 2, 2026 The preliminary senior reactor operator license applications (OMB control number 3150-0090)
and medical certifications (OMB control number 3150-0024) should be submitted at least 30 days before the first examination date. Final signed applications certifying that all training has been completed and requesting any waivers or excusals, as applicable, should be submitted at least 14 days before the first examination date.
Although the guidelines for waivers or excusal requests call for their receipt at least 30 days before the first examination date (preliminary) and 14 days before the first examination date (final), the requests should be submitted as early as possible in the process (see the 60-day guideline above). Resolutions resulting from verbal inquiries by the facility licensee to the NRC are not binding. Submittals addressing waivers or excusals, or both, should be in writing (i.e.,
using NRC Form 398, Personal Qualifications StatementLicensee, or as directed by Mr.
Kirchbaum when contacting him to determine the method for submission). The NRC will document its final decision on whether to grant a waiver or excusal on the final (not preliminary)
NRC Form 398 submitted for the applicant. The NRC will not provide its decision until the final application is submitted to the agency.
Paperwork Reduction Act Statement This letter contains information collection requirements that are subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). These information collections were approved by the OMB, approval number 3150-0018.
The burden to the public for these voluntary information collections is estimated to average 2,250 hours0.00289 days <br />0.0694 hours <br />4.133598e-4 weeks <br />9.5125e-5 months <br /> per examination or response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the information collections. Send comments regarding this information collection to the FOIA, Library, and Information Collections Branch (T6-A10M), U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555 0001, or by e-mail to Infocollects.Resource@nrc.gov, and to the OMB reviewer at: OMB Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (3150-0018), Attn: Desk Officer for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 725 17th Street, NW Washington, DC 20503; e-mail: oira_submission@omb.eop.gov.
Public Protection Notification The NRC may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information, unless the document requesting or requiring the collection displays a currently valid OMB control number.
In accordance with 10 CFR 2.390, Public inspections, exemptions, requests for withholding, a copy of this letter and its enclosures will be available electronically for public inspection through the NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS). ADAMS is accessible on the NRCs Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter. Mr. Petersen has been advised of the policies and guidelines referenced in this letter. If you have any questions about the NRC's examination procedures and guidelines, please contact Mr. Kirchbaum at (404) 997-4641, (Internet E-mail:
Kevin.Kirchbaum@nrc.gov), or me at (404) 997-4718, (Internet E-mail:
Matthew.Endress@nrc.gov).
Sincerely, Matt Endress, Chief Operations Branch Division of Reactor Safety Docket Nos.: 50-390, 50-391 License Nos.: DFP-90, NFP-96 Signed by Endress, Matthew on 04/02/26 SUBJECT:
WATTS BAR NUCLEAR PLANT - NOTIFICATION OF LICENSED OPERATOR INITIAL EXAMINATION 05000390/2026303 and 05000391/2026303 DATED April 02, 2026 DISTRIBUTION :
K. Kirchbaum, RII M. Endress, RII ADAMS Accession Number: ML26091A207, PKG: ML26091A208 e-Concurrence case: 20260401-30004