ML20108F052

Notification of NRC Initial Operator Licensing Examination 05000397/2021301

ML20108F052
Person / Time
Site:	Columbia
Issue date:	04/16/2020
From:	John Kirkland Operations Branch IV
To:	Sawatzke B Energy Northwest
References
500-397/21-301
Download: ML20108F052 (4)

See also: IR 05000397/2021301

Text

April 16, 2020

Mr. Brad Sawatzke, Chief Executive Officer

Energy Northwest

MD 1023

P.O. Box 968

Richland, WA 99352

SUBJECT: COLUMBIA GEBERATING STATION - NOTIFICATION OF NRC INITIAL

OPERATOR LICENSING EXAMINATION 05000397/2021301

Dear Mr. Sawatzke:

In a telephone conversation on April 14,2020, between Mr. Craig Post, Operations Training

Manager, and Mr. John Kirkland, Chief Examiner, arrangements were made for the

administration of operator licensing examinations at Columbia Generating Station during the

week of February 22, 2021.

As agreed during the telephone conversation, your staff will prepare the examinations based on

the guidelines in NUREG-1021, Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power

Reactors, Revision 11. The NRCs regional office will discuss with your staff any changes that

might be necessary before the examinations are administered.

To meet the above schedule, it will be necessary for your staff to furnish the operating test

outlines by September 21, 2020. The written examination outline was provided to your staff on

April 15, 2020. The written examinations, operating tests, and supporting reference materials

identified in Attachment 3 to ES-201 will be due by December 7, 2020. Pursuant to Title 10,

Section 55.40(b)(3), of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR 55.40(b)(3)), an authorized

representative of the facility licensee shall approve the examinations, and tests 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 materials, or the submittal of inadequate or incomplete materials, may

cause the examinations to be cancelled or rescheduled. In addition, your support for onsite

validation of the examinations is required during the week of January 11, 2021.

To conduct the requested written examinations and operating tests, it will be necessary for your

staff to provide adequate space and accommodations in accordance with ES-402, and to make

the simulation facility available on the dates noted above. In accordance with ES-302, your staff

should retain the original simulator performance data (e.g., system pressures, temperatures,

and levels) generated during the dynamic operating tests along with any video and audio

recordings of the dynamic operating tests until the NRC takes its licensing action on all of the

B. Sawatzke 2

applications and any adjudicatory actions on any hearing demands are complete. Appendix E

to NUREG-1021 contains NRC policies and guidelines that will be in effect while the written

examinations and operating tests are being administered.

To permit timely NRC review and evaluation, your staff should submit preliminary reactor

operator and senior reactor operator waiver or excusal requests (if any) (Office of Management

and Budget (OMB) approval number 3150-0090) at least 60 days before the first examination

date (if able). Mr. Kirkland, Chief Examiner, should be contacted to determine the method for

submission of the waiver and/or excusal requests. Preliminary reactor operator and senior

reactor operator license applications (OMB approval number 3150-0090) and medical

certifications (OMB approval number 3150-0024) should be submitted at least 30 days before

the first examination date. If the preliminary applications are not received at least 30 days

before the examination date, a postponement may be necessary. 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 minimum guidelines for receiving waiver or excusal requests is 30 days before the

first examination date (preliminary) and 14 days before the first examination date (final), the

requests should be submitted as early in the process as possible (see the 60-day guideline,

above). Resolutions resulting from verbal inquiries by the licensee to the NRC are not binding.

Submittals addressing waivers and/or excusals should be in writing (i.e., on NRC Form 398 or

as directed when Mr. Kirkland is contacted to determine the method for submission). The

NRCs final decision on whether to grant a waiver or excusal will be documented on the final

(not preliminary) NRC Form 398 submitted for the applicant and will not be provided until the

final application is submitted to the NRC.

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement

This letter contains mandatory information collections that are subject to the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). The Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

approved these information collections (approval number 3150-0011). Send comments

regarding this information collection to the Information Services Branch, Office of the Chief

Information Officer, Mail Stop: T6 A10M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington,

DC 20555-0001, or by e-mail to Infocollects.Resource@nrc.gov, and to the Desk Officer, Office

of Information and Regulatory Affairs, NEOB-10202, (3150-0011) Office of Management and

Budget, Washington, DC 20503.

The burden to the public for these mandatory information collections is estimated to average

400 hours0.00463 days <br />0.111 hours <br />6.613757e-4 weeks <br />1.522e-4 months <br /> per examination, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data

sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the

information collection. You may submit comments on any aspect of the information collection,

including suggestions for reducing the burden, to the FOIA, Privacy and Information Collections

Branch (T-5 F53), U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, or by

electronic mail to INFOCOLLECTS.RESOURCE@NRC.GOV; and to the Desk Officer, Office of

Information and Regulatory Affairs, NEOB-10202, (3150-0018), Office of Management and

Budget, Washington, DC 20503.

B. Sawatzke 3

Public Protection Notification

The NRC may not conduct nor sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a request

for information or an information collection requirement unless the requesting document

displays a currently valid OMB control number.

This letter will be made available for public inspection and copying at

https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html and at the NRC Public Document Room in

accordance with 10 CFR 2.390, Public Inspections, Exemptions, Requests for Withholding.

Thank you for your cooperation in this matter. Mr. Prost has been advised of the policies and

guidelines referenced in this letter. If you have any questions regarding the NRCs examination

procedures and guidelines, please contact me at 817-200-1771.

Sincerely,

/RA/

John Kirkland, Chief Examiner

Operations Branch

Division of Reactor Safety

Docket No. 050000397

License No. NPF-21

Electronic Distribution via LISTSERV

ML20108F052

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By: JCK Yes No Publicly Available Sensitive NRR-002

OFFICE DRS:SOE

NAME JKirkland

SIGNATURE /RA/

DATE 04/16/2020