IR 05000498/2018301

NRC Initial Operator Licensing Examination Report 05000498/2018301 and 05000499/2018301

ML18348B084
Person / Time
Site:	South Texas
Issue date:	12/14/2018
From:	Vincent Gaddy Division of Reactor Safety IV
To:	Gerry Powell South Texas
References
ER 2018301
Download: ML18348B084 (9)

Text

ber 14, 2018

SUBJECT:

SOUTH TEXAS PROJECT ELECTRIC GENERATING STATION, UNIT 1 AND 2 - NRC INITIAL OPERATOR LICENSING EXAMINATION REPORT 05000498/2018301 AND 05000499/2018301

Dear Mr. Powell:

On October 26, 2018, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) completed an initial operator license examination at South Texas Project Electric Generating Station. The enclosed report documents the examination results and licensing decisions. The preliminary examination results were discussed on October 25, 2018, with you and other members of your staff. A telephonic exit meeting was conducted on December 3, 2018 with Mr. Adrian Culver, Operations Training Supervisor, who was provided the NRC licensing decisions.

The examination included the evaluation of one applicant for a reactor operator license, eight applicants for instant senior reactor operator licenses, and two applicants for upgrade senior reactor operator licenses. The license examiners determined nine of the eleven applicants satisfied the requirements of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 55, and the appropriate licenses have been issued. There were no post examination comments submitted by your staff. The Enclosure contains details of this report.

No findings were identified during this examination.

In accordance with 10 CFR 2.390 of the NRC's "Agency Rules of Practice and Procedure," a copy of this letter and its enclosure will be available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records (PARS) component of NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS). ADAMS is accessible from the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html (the Public Electronic Reading Room).

Sincerely,

/RA/

Vincent G. Gaddy, Chief Operations Branch Division of Reactor Safety Docket Nos.: 50-498 and 50-499 License Nos.: NPF-76 and NPF-80 Enclosure:

Examination Report 05000498/2018301; 05000499/2018301 w/Attachment: Supplemental Information

ML18348B084 SUNSI Review Non-Sensitive Publicly Available Keyword:

By: JCK Sensitive Non-Publicly Available NRC-002 OFFICE OE:OB OE:Region 2 OE:OB OE:OB C:OB C:DRP/B NAME MHayes MKennard JKirkland COsterholtz VGaddy NTaylor SIGNATURE /RA/ /RA/ /RA/ /RA/ /RA/ /RA/

DATE 12/10/18 12/10/18 12/07/18 12/07/18 12/11/18 12/13/18 OFFICE C:OB NAME VGaddy SIGNATURE /RA/

DATE 12/14/18

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

REGION IV

Docket Nos.: 50-498 and 50-499 License Nos.: NPF-76 and NPF-80 Report Nos.: 05000498/2018301; 05000499/2018301 Licensee: STP Nuclear Operating Company Facility: South Texas Project Electric Generating Station Location: Wadsworth, Texas 77483 Dates: October 22, 2018 - December 3, 2018 Inspectors: J. Kirkland, Chief Examiner, Senior Operations Engineer C. Osterholtz, Senior Operations Engineer M. Hayes, Operations Engineer M. Kennard, Operations Engineer, Region 2 Approved By: Vincent G. Gaddy Chief, Operations Branch Division of Reactor Safety Enclosure

SUMMARY

ER 05000498/2018301 and 05000499/2018301; 10/22/2018 - 12/03/2018; South Texas

Project; Initial Operator Licensing Examination Report.

NRC examiners evaluated the competency of one applicant for a reactor operator license, eight applicants for instant senior reactor operator licenses and two applicants for upgrade senior reactor operator licenses at South Texas Project Electric Generating Station.

The licensee developed the examinations using NUREG-1021, "Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors," Revision 11. The written examination was administered by the licensee on November 7, 2018. NRC examiners administered the operating tests on October 22 - 26, 2018.

The examiners determined that all applicants satisfied the requirements of 10 CFR Part 55, and the appropriate licenses have been issued.

NRC-Identified and Self-Revealing Findings

None.

Licensee-Identified Violations

None.

REPORT DETAILS

4OA5 Other Activities (Initial Operator License Examination)

.1 License Applications

a. Scope

NRC examiners reviewed all license applications submitted to ensure each applicant satisfied relevant license eligibility requirements. Examiners also audited two of the license applications in detail to confirm that they accurately reflected the subject applicants qualifications. This audit focused on the applicants experience and on-the-job training, including control manipulations that provided significant reactivity changes.

b. Findings

No findings were identified.

.2 Examination Development

a. Scope

NRC examiners reviewed integrated examination outlines and draft examinations submitted by the licensee against the requirements of NUREG-1021. The NRC examination team conducted an onsite validation of the operating tests.

b. Findings

NRC examiners provided outline, draft examination and post-validation comments to the licensee. The licensee satisfactorily completed comment resolution prior to examination administration.

NRC examiners determined the written examinations and operating tests initially submitted by the licensee were within the range of acceptability expected for a proposed examination.

.3 Operator Knowledge and Performance

a. Scope

On November 7, 2018, the licensee proctored the administration of the written examinations to all applicants. The licensee staff graded the written examinations, analyzed the results, and presented their analysis to the NRC on November 16, 2018.

The NRC examination team administered the various portions of the operating tests to all applicants on October 22 - 26, 2018.

b. Findings

No findings were identified.

Nine of eleven applicants passed the written examination, and all applicants passed all parts of the operating tests. The final written examinations and post examination analysis may be accessed in the ADAMS system under the accession numbers noted in the attachment. There were no post examination comments as indicated in the licensee submittal.

The examination team identified one generic weakness associated with applicant performance on a simulator JPM. Six of the eleven applicants failed to properly start an emergency diesel generator manually and load onto a bus, following the loss of offsite power to a safety related bus. The licensee initiated condition report 18-12924 regarding this generic weakness.

The licensee identified eight generic weaknesses associated with applicant performance on the written examination. The applicants displayed weaknesses in knowledge of:

• containment water level instrumentation and containment radiation monitoring,

• steam generator level response and the feedwater source after the trip of RCP 1A,

• containment response to various design basis accidents,

• interlocks for charging pump suction valves and accumulator outlet isolation valves upon a safety injection signal,

• Containment Spray Pump status while performing 0POP05-EO-EC11, Loss of Emergency Coolant Recirculation, Step 5,

• Technical Specification requirements related to inoperable pressurizer level instruments,

• recovery of a misaligned control rod,

• Technical Specification 3.6.3 as applied to the Instrument Air system.

Copies of all individual examination reports were sent to the facility Training Manager for evaluation and determination of appropriate remedial training.

.4 Simulation Facility Performance

a. Scope

The NRC examiners observed simulator performance with regard to plant fidelity during examination validation and administration.

b. Findings

No findings were identified.

.5 Examination Security

a. Scope

The NRC examiners reviewed examination security for examination development during both the onsite preparation week and examination administration week for compliance with 10 CFR 55.49 and NUREG-1021. Plans for simulator security and applicant control were reviewed and discussed with licensee personnel.

b. Findings

No findings were identified.

4OA6 Meetings, Including Exit

Exit Meeting Summary

The chief examiner presented the preliminary examination results to Mr. J. Connolly, Chief Nuclear Officer, and other members of the staff on October 25, 2018. A telephonic exit was conducted on December 3, 2018, between Mr. J. Kirkland, Chief Examiner, and Mr. A. Culver, Operations Training Supervisor.

The licensee did not identify any information or materials used during the examination as proprietary.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

KEY POINTS OF CONTACT

Licensee Personnel

A. Culver, Operations Training Supervisor

T. Hurley, Simulator Support Supervisor

W. Markham, Regulatory Exam Author

S. Mason, Regulatory Exam Author

NRC Personnel

A. Sanchez, Senior Resident Inspector