IR 05000498/2022301

Notification of NRC Initial Operator Licensing Examination 05000498/2022301 and 05000499/2022301

ML21306A268
Person / Time
Site:	South Texas
Issue date:	11/03/2021
From:	Heather Gepford Operations Branch IV
To:	Gerry Powell South Texas
References
Download: ML21306A268 (5)

Text

November 03, 2021

SUBJECT:

SOUTH TEXAS PROJECT, UNITS 1 AND 2 - NOTIFICATION OF NRC INITIAL OPERATOR LICENSING EXAMINATION 05000498/2022301; 05000499/2022301

Dear Mr. Powell:

In a telephone conversation on October 28, 2021 between Mr. Mike Fortner, Operations Training Manager and Mr. John Kirkland, Chief Examiner, arrangements were made for the administration of operator licensing examinations at South Texas Project during the weeks of August 22 and August 29, 2022.

As agreed during the telephone conversation, your staff will prepare the examinations based on the guidelines in NUREG-1021, Operator Lic ensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors, Revision 12. 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 March 21, 2022. The written examination outline was provided to your staff on October 19, 2021. The written examinations, operating tests, and supporting reference materials identified in ES-2.1 will be due by June 6, 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 July 11, 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-4.3, and to make the simulation facility available on the dates noted above. In accordance with ES-3.5, 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 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.

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. Fortner 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- 1159.

Sincerely, Heather J. Gepford, Chief Operations Branch Division of Reactor Safety

Docket Nos. 05000498 and 05000499 License Nos. NPF-76 and NPF-80

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ML21306A268 SUNSI Review: ADAMS: Non-Publicly Available Non-Sensitive Keyword:

By: jck Yes No Publicly Available Sensitive NRC -002 OFFICE SOE:OB C:OB NAME JKirkland HGepford SIGNATURE JCK HJG DATE 11/2/2021 11/ 3 /2021

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