ML21195A093
| ML21195A093 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Palo Verde  |
| Issue date: | 07/14/2021 |
| From: | John Kirkland Operations Branch IV |
| To: | Lacal M Arizona Public Service Co |
| References | |
| IR 2022301 | |
| Download: ML21195A093 (4) | |
See also: IR 05000528/2021301
Text
July 14, 2021
Mrs. Maria L. Lacal, Executive Vice President
and Chief Nuclear Officer
Arizona Public Service Company
P.O. Box 52034, MS 7602
Phoenix, AZ 85072-2034
SUBJECT: PALO VERDE NUCLEAR GENERATING STATION, UNITS 1, 2, AND 3 -
NOTIFICATION OF NRC INITIAL OPERATOR LICENSING EXAMINATION
05000528/2022301, 05000529/2022301, AND 05000530/2022301
Dear Mrs. Lacal:
In a telephone conversation on July 13, 2021, between Mr. Zach Goldwasser, Operations
Training Manager, and Mr. John Kirkland, Chief Examiner, arrangements were made for the
administration of operator licensing examinations at Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station
during the week of May 2, 2022.
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. If Revision 12 of NUREG-1021 is issued prior to December 2, 2021,
Mr. Kirkland will discuss with your staff how the examination preparation will be impacted. The
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commissions (NRC) 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 November 29, 2021. The written examination outline was provided to your staff on
July 13, 2021. The written examinations, operating tests, and supporting reference materials
identified in Attachment 3 to ES-201 will be due by February 14, 2022. 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 on-site
validation of the examinations is required during the week of March 28, 2022.
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
M. Lacal 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). Mr. John 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.
M. Lacal 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
http://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. Goldwasser 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,
Signed by Kirkland, John
on 07/14/21
John Kirkland, Senior Operations Engineer
Operations Branch
Division of Reactor Safety
Docket Nos. 05000528, 05000529,
and 05000530
and NPF-74
cc w/ encl: Distribution via LISTSERV
SUNSI Review: ADAMS: Non-Publicly Available Non-Sensitive Keyword:
By: JCK Yes No Publicly Available Sensitive NRC-002
OFFICE SOE: OB
NAME JKirkland
SIGNATURE /RA/
DATE 7/14/21