ML24073A120
| ML24073A120 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Catawba  |
| Issue date: | 03/12/2024 |
| From: | Tom Stephen Division of Reactor Safety II |
| To: | Flippin N Duke Energy Carolinas |
| References | |
| Download: ML24073A120 (4) | |
See also: IR 05000413/2024301
Text
March 12, 2024
Nicole Flippin
Site Vice President
Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC
Catawba Nuclear Station
4800 Concord Road
York, SC 29745
SUBJECT:
CATAWBA NUCLEAR STATION - NOTIFICATION OF LICENSED OPERATOR
INITIAL EXAMINATION NOS. - 05000413/2024301 AND 05000414/2024301
Dear Nicole Flippin:
In a telephone conversation on January 17, 2024, between Mr. Bruce Boyett, Operations
Training Instructor, and Mr. Michael Kennard, Senior Operations Engineer, arrangements were
made for the administration of operator licensing examinations at the Catawba Nuclear Station.
The on-site preparatory week is scheduled for the week of August 18, 2024. The operating test
is scheduled to be administered during the week of September 22, 2024. The written
examination is scheduled to be administered the week of September 29, 2024.
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 by April 26, 2024. Mr. Kennard provided the written examination outline to your staff in
November 2023. The written examinations, operating tests, and supporting reference materials
identified in NUREG-1021, Examination Standard (ES)-2.1, Preparing for Operator Licensing
Initial Examinations, will be due by September 9, 2024. 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.
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
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.
N. Flippin
2
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. Your staff has also
agreed to make copies of all examination materials that are necessary for administering the
examination.
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. Kennard 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.
Kennard when contacting him 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 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, 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.
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.
N. Flippin
3
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. Neat 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. Kennard at (404) 997-4627, (Internet E-mail:
michael.kennard@nrc.gov , or me at (404) 997-4703, (Internet E-mail:
thomas.stephen@nrc.gov).
Sincerely,
/RA/
Thomas Stephen, Chief
Operations Branch 1
Division of Reactor Safety
Docket Nos.: 50-413, 50-414
cc: Distribution via Listserv
SUNSI REVIEW COMPLETE
FORM 665 ATTACHED
OFFICE
RII/DRS/OB
RII/DRS/OB
RII/DRS/OB
NAME
K Wallace
M Kennard
T. Stephen
DATE
3/12/2022
3/12/2022
8/12/2022