ML22290A148
| ML22290A148 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Browns Ferry  |
| Issue date: | 10/17/2022 |
| From: | Tom Stephen NRC/RGN-II |
| To: | Jim Barstow Tennessee Valley Authority |
| References | |
| IR 2023301 | |
| Download: ML22290A148 (4) | |
See also: IR 05000259/2023301
Text
October 17, 2022
Mr. James Barstow
Vice President, Nuclear Regulatory Affairs and Support Services
Tennessee Valley Authority
Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801
SUBJECT: BROWNS FERRY NUCLEAR PLANT - NOTIFICATION OF LICENSED
OPERATOR INITIAL EXAMINATION 05000259/2023301, 05000260/2023301,
Dear Mr. Barstow:
In a telephone conversation on October 13, 2022, between Mr. Donald Binkley, Exam Team
Supervisor, and Mr. Bruno Caballero, Senior Operations Engineer, arrangements were made for
the administration of operator licensing examinations at Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant. The on-
site preparatory week is scheduled for the week of May 8, 2023. The operating test is
scheduled to be administered during the week of June 12, 2023, and, if necessary, the week of
June 19, 2023. The written examination is scheduled to be administered the week of June 19,
2023.
As agreed during the telephone conversation, your staff will prepare both the operating test and
written examination based on the guidelines in Revision 12 of NUREG-1021, "Operator
Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors." 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
outline and supporting reference materials identified in NUREG-1021, Examination Standard
(ES)-2.1, Preparing for Operator Licensing Initial Examinations, by January 13, 2023. Mr.
Bruno Caballero provided the written examination outline to your staff in June 2022. The written
examinations will be due by February 1, 2023, and the operating tests will be due by March 29,
2023. Pursuant to Title 10 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. Your staff has also agreed to make copies of all examination materials that
are necessary for administering the examination.
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 examination and reference materials, or the submittal of inadequate or
incomplete materials, may cause the examinations to be cancelled or rescheduled.
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,
Administering Written Examinations, and to make the simulation facility available on the dates
noted above. In accordance with ES-3.5, Administering Operating Tests, your staff should
J. Barstow
2
retain the original simulator performance data (e.g., system pressures, temperatures, and
levels) generated during the dynamic operating tests until the NRC takes licensing action on all
the applications and any adjudicatory actions on any hearing demands are complete.
ES-1.2, Guidelines for Taking NRC Examinations, contains a number of NRC guidelines for
the written examinations and operating tests as they are being administered.
To permit timely NRC review and evaluation, your staff should submit preliminary reactor
operator and senior reactor operator waiver and/or excusal requests (if any) (Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) control number 3150-0090) at least 60 days before the first
examination date (if possible). Contact Mr. Bruno Caballero to determine the method for
submission of the waiver or excusal requests. Preliminary reactor operator and senior reactor
operator license applications (OMB control number 3150-0090) and medical certifications (OMB
control number 3150-0024) should be submitted at least 30 days before the first examination
date. If the NRC does not receive the preliminary applications 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 guidelines for waiver or excusal requests call for their receipt at least 30 days
before the first examination date (preliminary) and 14 days before the first examination date
(final), the requests should be submitted as early as possible in the process (see the 60-day
guideline above). Resolutions resulting from verbal inquiries by the facility licensee to the NRC
are not binding. Submittals addressing waivers or excusals, or both, should be in writing (i.e.,
using NRC Form 398, Personal Qualifications StatementLicensee, or as directed by Mr. /Ms.
[name of Chief Examiner] when contacting [him or her] to determine the method for
submission). The NRC will document its final decision on whether to grant a waiver or excusal
on the final (not preliminary) NRC Form 398 submitted for the applicant. The NRC will not
provide its decision until the final application is submitted to the agency.
Paperwork Reduction Act Statement
This letter contains information collection requirements that are subject to the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). These information collections were approved
by the OMB, approval number 3150-0018.
The burden to the public for these [voluntary] mandatory 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 or response] [[400 hours per examination or
response]], including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources,
gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the information
collections. Send comments regarding this information collection to the FOIA, Library, and
Information Collections Branch (T6-A10M), U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555 0001, or by e-mail to Infocollects.Resource@nrc.gov, and to the OMB reviewer
at: OMB Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (3150-0018), Attn: Desk Officer for the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 725 17th Street, NW Washington, DC 20503; e-mail:
oira_submission@omb.eop.gov.
J. Barstow
3
Public Protection Notification
The NRC may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection
of information, unless the document requesting or requiring the collection displays a currently
valid OMB control number.
In accordance with 10 CFR 2.390, Public inspections, exemptions, requests for withholding, a
copy of this letter and its enclosures will be available electronically for public inspection through
the NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS). ADAMS is
accessible on the NRCs Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html.
Thank you for your cooperation in this matter. Mr. Donald Binkley has been advised of the
policies and guidelines referenced in this letter. If you have any questions about the NRC's
examination procedures and guidelines, please contact Mr. Bruno Caballero at (404) 997-4608,
(Internet E-mail: bruno.caballero@nrc.gov), or me at (404) 997-4703, (Internet E-mail:
thomas.stephen@nrc.gov).
Sincerely,
/RA/
Thomas A. Stephen, Chief
Operations Branch 1
Division of Reactor Safety
Docket Nos.: 50-259, 50-260, 50-296
License Nos.: DPR-33, DPR-52, DPR-68
SUNSI REVIEW COMPLETE
FORM 665 ATTACHED
OFFICE
RII/DRS/OB
RII/DRS/OB
RII/DRS/OB
NAME
DEgelstad
BCaballero
TStephen
DATE
10/14/2022
10/14/2022
10/17 /2022