IR 05000461/2025301
| ML25252A037 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Clinton  |
| Issue date: | 09/10/2025 |
| From: | Paul Zurawski NRC/RGN-III/DORS/OB |
| To: | Rhoades D Constellation Energy Generation, Constellation Nuclear |
| Roach G. | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML23202A063 | List: |
| References | |
| 50-461/25-301 50-461/OL-25 | |
| Download: ML25252A037 (1) | |
Text
SUBJECT:
CLINTON POWER STATION NRC INITIAL LICENSE EXAMINATION REPORT 05000461/2025301
Dear David Rhoades:
On July 29, 2025, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) completed the initial operator licensing examination process for license applicants employed at your Clinton Power Station. The enclosed report documents the results of those examinations. Preliminary observations noted during the examination process were discussed on July 18, 2025, with James Cotter, Senior Manager - Site Training, and other members of your staff. An exit meeting was conducted by teleconference on August 11, 2025, between Norha Plumey, Site Vice President, of your staff and Gregory Roach, Senior Operations Engineer, to review the proposed final grading of the written examination for the license applicants. During the teleconference conversation, the NRC resolutions of any post-examination comments submitted by the facility, initially received by the NRC on July 29, 2025, were discussed.
The NRC examiners administered an initial license examination operating test during the week of July 14, 2025. The written examination was administered by Clinton Power Station training department personnel on July 23, 2025. Five (5) Senior Reactor Operator and three (3) Reactor Operator applicants were administered license examinations. The results of the examinations were finalized on August 11, 2025. Seven (7) applicants passed all sections of their respective examinations. One (1) applicant was issued a Preliminary Results Letter. Five (5) applicants were issued senior operator licenses, and two (2) applicants were issued operator licenses.
The as-administered written examination and operating test, as well as documents related to the development and review (outlines, review comments and resolution, etc.) of the examination will be withheld from public disclosure until July 29, 2027. The enclosure contains details of this report.
However, since one applicant received a Preliminary Results letter because of receiving a less than passing grade on one portion of the operating test (dynamic scenarios), the applicant was provided a copy of those portions of the operating test affected. For examination security purposes, your staff should consider those portions of the operating test uncontrolled and exposed to the public.
September 10, 2025 This letter, its enclosure, and your response (if any) will be made available for public inspection and copying at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html and at the NRC Public Document Room in accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 2.390, Public Inspections, Exemptions, Requests for Withholding.
Sincerely, Paul J. Zurawski, Chief Operations Branch Division of Operating Reactor Safety Docket No. 50-461 License No. NPF-62 Enclosure:
1. Examination Report 05000461/2025301 2. Simulator Fidelity Report cc: Distribution via LISTSERV J. Cotter, Senior Manager - Site Training Signed by Zurawski, Paul on 09/10/25
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
ER 05000461/2025301; July 14, 2025, to July 29, 2025; Constellation Energy Generation, LLC,
Clinton Power Station. Initial License Examination Report.
The announced initial operator licensing examination was conducted by regional Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) examiners in accordance with the guidance of NUREG-1021,
Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors, Revision 12.
Examination Summary:
Seven (7) of eight (8) applicants passed all sections of their respective examinations. Five (5)applicants were issued senior operator licenses, and two (2) applicants were issued operator licenses.
REPORT DETAILS
4OA5 Other Activities
.1 Initial Licensing Examinations
a. Examination Scope
The NRC examiners and members of the facility licensees staff used the guidance prescribed in NUREG-1021, Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors, Revision 12, to develop, validate, administer, and grade the written examination and operating test. The written examination outlines were prepared by the NRC staff and were transmitted to the facility licensees staff. The NRC examiners developed the operating test outlines and developed the written examination. The NRC examiners validated the proposed examination during the week of June 2, 2025, with the assistance of members of the facility licensees staff. During the on-site validation week, the examiners audited four license applications for accuracy. The NRC examiners, with the assistance of members of the facility licensees staff, administered the operating test, consisting of job performance measures and dynamic simulator scenarios, during the period of July 14, 2025, through July 17, 2025. The facility licensee administered the written examination on July 23, 2025.
b. Findings
- (1) Written Examination During the validation of the written examination several questions were modified or replaced. Changes made to the written examination were documented on Form 2.3-5, Written Examination Review Worksheet. The Form 2.3-5, the written examination outlines, and both the proposed and final written examinations, will be available electronically in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records component of NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) on July 29, 2027. (ADAMS Accession Numbers ML23202100, ML23202A101, ML23202A102, and ML23202A098 respectively).
The NRC examiners graded the written examination on July 31, 2025, and conducted a review of each missed question to determine the accuracy and validity of the examination questions. Post-examination analysis revealed generic weaknesses in applicant performance with four
- (4) Emergency and Abnormal Plant Evolutions questions, three
- (3) Plant Systems questions, and one
- (1) Generic Knowledge and Abilities question with more than 50 percent of applicants answering incorrectly.
- (2) Operating Test During the validation of the operating test, several Job Performance Measures (JPMs)were modified or replaced, and some modifications were made to the dynamic simulator scenarios. Changes made to the operating test portion of the examination, were documented on Form 2.3-3, Operating Test Review Worksheet. The Form 2.3-3, the operating test outlines, and both the proposed and final as administered operating tests, will be available electronically in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records component of NRC's ADAMS on July 29, 2027. (ADAMS Accession Numbers ML23202100, ML23202A101, ML23202A102, and ML23202A098 respectively).
The NRC examiners completed operating test grading on August 6, 2025.
Post-examination analysis revealed generic weaknesses in applicant performance in the areas of the use of critical parameters, the operation of the control room ventilation system, the knowledge of work-hour rules, and senior reactor operator command and control during emergency operating procedure (EOP) use.
- (3) Examination Results Five
- (5) applicants at the Senior Reactor Operator (SRO) level and three
- (3) applicants at the Reactor Operator (RO) level were administered written examinations and operating tests. Seven
- (7) applicants passed all portions of their examinations and were issued their respective operating licenses on August 11, 2025.
.2 Examination Security
a. Scope
The NRC examiners reviewed and observed the licensees implementation of examination security requirements during the examination validation and administration to assure compliance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Section 55.49, Integrity of Examinations and Tests. The examiners used the guidelines provided in NUREG 1021, Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors, to determine acceptability of the licensees examination security activities.
b. Findings
During a routine simulator upgrade, the facility licensees Information Technology staff identified that the three operator computers in the simulator were able to be accessed from other onsite computers via the Remote Desktop function. The ability to remotely access the simulator computers was an examination security vulnerability which is contrary to licensee procedures TQ-AA-201, EXAMINATION SECURITY AND ADMINISTRATION and TQ-CL-201-0117, CLINTON POWER STATION SIMULATOR EXAM SECURITY ACTIONS. In order to ensure no compromise of examination materials occurred, the examiners had the facility licensee confirm that no simulator computer was remotely accessed for the previous five
- (5) months during the period of time when examination material was being developed and validated in the simulator. In addition, the examiners required the facility licensee training staff sequester all applicants whenever any portion of the examination was being administered in the simulator. The facility licensee entered this issue into their corrective action program as IR 04884208. The NRC Operations Branch intends on tracking the facility licensees proposed corrective actions and will ensure they are implemented prior to the 2026 Licensed Operator Requalification Annual Operating Test and the facilitys 2026 Initial License Examination.
4OA6 Meetings
.1 Debrief
The chief examiner presented the examination teams preliminary observations and findings on July 18, 2025, to James Cotter, Senior Manager - Site Training and other members of the Clinton Power Station Operations and Training Department staff.
.2 Exit Meeting
The chief examiner conducted an exit meeting on August 11, 2025, with Norha Plumey, Site Vice President by teleconference. The NRCs final disposition of the stations grading of the written examination and post-examination comments were disclosed and discussed during the teleconference. The chief examiner asked the facility licensee whether any of the retained submitted material used to develop or administer the examination should be considered proprietary. No proprietary or sensitive information was identified during the examination or debrief/exit meetings.
ATTACHMENT:
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
KEY POINTS OF CONTACT
Licensee
Norha Plumey, Site Vice President
Chet Wilson, Director Site Operations
James Cotter, Senior Manager - Site Training
Jim Nelson, Operations Training Manager
Matthew Beeler, Exam Team Lead
Pat Bulpitt, Operations Facility Representative
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Gregory Roach, Senior Operations Engineer, Chief Examiner
Brett Jebbia, Operations Engineer, Chief Examiner Under Instruction
ITEMS OPENED, CLOSED, AND DISCUSSED
Opened, Closed, and Discussed
None