ML20255A225

Notification of NRC Initial Operator Licensing Examination 05000498/2020301; 05000499/2020301

ML20255A225
Person / Time
Site:	South Texas
Issue date:	09/11/2020
From:	Thomas Farina Operations Branch IV
To:	Gerry Powell South Texas
References
50-498/20-301, 50-499/20-301 50-498/OL-20, 50-499/OL-20
Download: ML20255A225 (4)

See also: IR 05000498/2020301

Text

September 11, 2020

Mr. G. T. Powell

President and CEO

STP Nuclear Operating Company

P.O. Box 289

Wadsworth, TX 77483

SUBJECT: SOUTH TEXAS PROJECT, UNITS 1 AND 2 - NOTIFICATION OF NRC INITIAL

OPERATOR LICENSING EXAMINATION 05000498/2021301;

05000499/2021301

Dear Mr. Powell:

In a telephone conversation on September 9, 2020, between Mr. Bobby Simpson, Operations

Training Manager, and myself, Chief Examiner, arrangements were made for the administration

of operator licensing examinations at South Texas Project during the weeks of July 12 and 19,

2021.

As agreed during the telephone conversation, the staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission (NRC) 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. Your staff will be given the opportunity to review the

examinations before final approval, including during onsite validation the week of June 7, 2021.

The NRC staff will provide the written examination outline by December 28, 2020, and the

operating test outlines by February 8, 2021. The written examinations, operating tests, and

supporting reference materials identified in Attachment 3 to ES-201 will be due by April 26,

2021. 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. Your support for onsite validation of

the examinations is required during the week of June 7, 2021. In addition, the NRC requests

your support for onsite operating test development prior to examination validation, during a

week to be determined and agreed upon by your staff and that of the NRC.

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

G. Powell 2

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

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). I 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 I am 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 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 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.

G. Powell 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. Bobby Simpson 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 817-200-1117.

Sincerely,

Thomas J. Farina, Chief Examiner

Operations Branch

Division of Reactor Safety

Docket Nos. 05000498 and 05000499

License Nos. NPF-76 and NPF-80

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ML20255A225

SUNSI Review: ADAMS: Non-Publicly Available Non-Sensitive Keyword:

By: TJF Yes No Publicly Available Sensitive NRC-002

OFFICE SOE:OB

NAME TFarina

SIGNATURE /RA/

DATE 9/11/2020