ML24079A031

Wb 2024-301, Corporate Notification Letter (210-day Ltr)

ML24079A031
Person / Time
Site:	Watts Bar
Issue date:	03/19/2024
From:	Tom Stephen Division of Reactor Safety II
To:	Jim Barstow Tennessee Valley Authority
References
Download: ML24079A031 (4)

Text

March 19, 2024

James Barstow, Vice President Nuclear Regulatory Affairs and Support Services Tennessee Valley Authority 1101 Market Street, LP 4A-C Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801

SUBJECT:

WATTS BAR NUCLEAR PLANT - NOTIFICATION OF LICENSED OPE RATOR INITIAL EXAMINATION 05000390/2024301 and 05000391/2024301

Dear James Barstow:

In a telephone conversation on 18 March 2024, between Mr. Tim G abosch, Operations Training Examination Lead, and Mr. Joseph Viera, Senior Operations Engin eer, arrangements were made for the administration of operator licensing examinations at Watts Bar Nuclear Plant. The on-site preparatory week is scheduled for the week of 16 Septem ber 2024. The operating test is scheduled to be administered during the week of 21 October 2 024, and, if necessary, the week of 28 October 2024. The written examination is scheduled to be administered the week of 4 November 2024.

As agreed during the telephone conversation, your staff will pr epare both the operating test and written examination based on the guidelines in Revision 12 of N UREG-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 24 May 2024. Mr. Viera provided the written examina tion outline to your staff in February 2024. The written examinations, operating tests, and supporting reference materials identified in NUREG-1021, Examination Standard (ES)-2.1, Prepa ring for Operator Licensing Initial Examinations, will be due by 7 August 2024. Pursuant to Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 55.40(b)(3), an authorized representative of the facil ity 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 unclassifi ed, or safeguards information in your response be contained in a separate enclosure and appropri ately marked. Delays in receiving the required examination and reference materials, or the submittal of inadequate or incomplete materials, may cause the examinations to be cancelle d or rescheduled.

To conduct the requested written examinations and operating tes ts, it will be necessary for your staff to provide adequate space and accommodations in accordanc e with ES-4.3, Administering Written Examinations, and to make the simulatio n facility available on the dates noted above. In accordance with ES-3.5, Administering Operati ng Tests, your staff should retain the original simulator performance data (e.g., system pr essures, 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 de mands are complete.

J. Barstow 2

ES-1.2, Guidelines for Taking NRC Examinations, contains a nu mber 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 nec essary for administering the examination.

To permit timely NRC review and evaluation, your staff should s ubmit preliminary reactor operator and senior reactor operator waiver and/or excusal requ ests (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. Viera to determine the method for submission of the waiver or excusal requests. Preliminary reactor operator and s enior reactor operator license applications (OMB control number 3150-0090) and medical certifi cations (OMB control number 3150-0024) should be submitted at least 30 days before the firs t 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 cert ifying 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 bef ore 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 addres sing waivers or excusals, or both, should be in writing (i.e.,

using NRC Form 398, Personal Qualifications StatementLicensee, or as directed by Mr.

Viera when contacting him to determine the method for submissio n). The NRC will document its final decision on whether to grant a waiver or excusal on the f inal (not preliminary) NRC Form 398 submitted for the applicant. The NRC will not provide its d ecision until the final application is submitted to the agency.

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement

This letter contains information collection requirements that a re subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). These informati on collections were approved by the OMB, approval number 3150-0018.

The burden to the public for these voluntary information collec tions 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 t he time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and ma intaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the information collections. Send comm ents regarding this information collection to the FOIA, Library, and Information Collections Br anch (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 Nucl ear 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 require d 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, exemption s, requests for withholding, a J. Barstow 3

copy of this letter and its enclosures will be available electr onically for public inspection through the NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (AD AMS). 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. Gabosch has been advised of the policies and guidelines referenced in this letter. If you have any ques tions about the NRC's examination procedures and guidelines, please contact Mr. Viera at (404) 99 7-4643, (Internet E-mail:

Joseph.Viera@nrc.gov), or me at (404) 997-4703, (Internet E-mail: Thomas.Stephen@nrc.gov).

Sincerely,

/RA/

Thomas A. Stephen, Chief OperationsBranch1 DivisionofReactorSafety

Docket Nos.: 50-390, 50-391 License Nos.: DFP-90, NFP-96

ML24079A031 SUNSI REVIEW COMPLETE FORM 665 ATTACHED

OFFICE RII/DRS/OB RII/DRS/OB RII/DRS/OB NAME K. Wallace J. Viera T. Stephen DATE 3/ 18/24 3/18/2024 3/19/24