ML24330A200
| ML24330A200 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Monticello  |
| Issue date: | 11/27/2024 |
| From: | Paul Zurawski NRC/RGN-III/DORS/OB |
| To: | Hafen S Northern States Power Company, Minnesota |
| Bergeon B. | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML22336A036 | List: |
| References | |
| IR 2024301 | |
| Download: ML24330A200 (1) | |
Text
Shawn Hafen Site Vice President Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant Northern States Power Company, Minnesota 2807 West County Road 75 Monticello, MN 55362-9637
SUBJECT:
MONTICELLO NUCLEAR GENERATING PLANT - NRC INITIAL LICENSE EXAMINATION REPORT 05000263/2024301
Dear Shawn Hafen:
On October 24, 2024, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) completed the initial operator licensing examination process for license applicants employed at your Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant. The enclosed report documents the results of those examinations.
Preliminary observations noted during the examination process were discussed on October 21, 2024, with Doralee Solon, Operations Training Supervisor, and other members of your staff. An exit meeting was conducted via Microsoft Teams on November 12, 2024, between Greg Brown of your staff and Bryan Bergeon, Senior Operator Licensing Examiner, to review the proposed final grading of the written examination for the license applicants. During the virtual meeting, the NRC resolutions of any post-examination comments submitted by the facility, initially received by the NRC on October 24, 2024, were discussed.
The NRC examiners administered an initial license examination operating test during the week of October 14, 2024. The written examination was administered by Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant training department personnel on October 22, 2024. Ten Senior Reactor Operator and five Reactor Operator applicants were administered license examinations. The results of the examinations were finalized on November 7, 2024. Fifteen applicants passed all sections of their respective examinations. Nine were issued senior operator licenses and five were issued operator licenses, effective November 13, 2024. Issuance of the license for one SRO applicant has been deferred pending the receipt of additional information. This SRO applicant was issued a Notification Letter providing the details associated with the need for additional information pertaining to the completion of deferred items.
The as-administered written examination and operating test, as well as documents related to the development and review (outlines, review comments and resolution, etc.) of the examination, will be withheld from public disclosure until October 24, 2026. The enclosure contains details of this report.
November 26, 2024
S. Hafen 2
This letter, its enclosure, and your response (if any) 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 Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 2.390, Public Inspections, Exemptions, Requests for Withholding.
Sincerely, Paul J. Zurawski, Chief Operations Branch Division of Operating Reactor Safety Docket No. 50-263 License No. DPR-22
Enclosure:
- 1. Examination Report 05000263/2024301
- 2. Simulator Fidelity Report cc: Distribution via LISTSERV S. Spillum, Director Nuclear Training, Monticello Signed by Zurawski, Paul on 11/26/24
S. Hafen 3
Letter to Shawn Hafen from Paul J. Zurawski dated November 26, 2024.
SUBJECT:
MONTICELLO NUCLEAR GENERATING PLANT - NRC INITIAL LICENSE EXAMINATION REPORT 05000263/2024301 DISTRIBUTION:
Robert Ruiz RidsNrrDorlLpl3 RidsNrrPMMonticello RidsNrrDroIrib Resource Jack Giessner Mohammed Shuaibi Diana Betancourt-Roldan Allan Barker David Curtis Jonathan Feibus R3-DORS Ikeda Betts Maryia Bahdanovich-Kniazkova ADAMS Accession Number: ML24330A200 OFFICE RIII/DORS/OB/CE RIII/DORS/OB:BC NAME BBergeon:gmp PZurawski DATE 11/25/2024 11/26/2024 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION REGION 3 Docket No:
50-263 License No:
DPR-22 Report No:
05000263/2024301 Enterprise Identifier L-2024-OLL-0012 Licensee:
Northern States Power Company, Minnesota Facility:
Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant Location:
Monticello, MN Dates:
October 14, 2024 to October 24, 2024 Examiners:
Bryan Bergeon, Senior Operations Engineer, Chief Examiner Ted Wingfield, Operations Engineer, Examiner Brett Jebbia, Operations Engineer, Examiner Kevin Murphy, Operations Engineer, Examiner Bernard Litkett, Reactor Engineer, Examiner Approved by:
Paul J. Zurawski, Chief Operations Branch Division of Operating Reactor Safety
2
SUMMARY
OF FINDINGS ER 05000263/2024301; 10/14/2024-10/24/2024; Northern States Power Company, Minnesota, Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant. Initial License Examination Report.
The announced initial operator licensing examination was conducted by regional and program office Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) examiners in accordance with the guidance of NUREG-1021, Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors, Revision 12.
Examination Summary:
Fifteen of fifteen applicants passed all sections of their respective examinations. Nine applicants were issued senior operator licenses, and five applicants were issued operator licenses.
Issuance of the license for one SRO applicant has been deferred pending the receipt of additional information. (Section 4OA5.1).
3 REPORT DETAILS 4OA5 Other Activities
.1 Initial Licensing Examinations a.
Examination Scope The NRC examiners and members of the facility licensees staff used the guidance prescribed in NUREG-1021, Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors, Revision 12, to develop, validate, administer, and grade the written examination and operating test. The written examination outlines were prepared by the NRC staff and were transmitted to the facility licensees staff. Members of the facility licensees staff developed the operating test outlines and developed the written examination and operating test. The NRC examiners validated the proposed examination during the week of September 9, 2024, with the assistance of members of the facility licensees staff. During the on-site validation week, the examiners audited all fifteen license applications for accuracy. The NRC examiners, with the assistance of members of the facility licensees staff, administered the operating test, consisting of job performance measures and dynamic simulator scenarios, during the period of October 14, 2024 through October 18, 2024. The facility licensee administered the written examination on October 22, 2024.
b.
Findings (1) Written Examination The NRC examiners determined that the written examination, as proposed by the licensee, was within the range of acceptability expected for a proposed examination.
Less than 20 percent of the proposed examination questions were determined to be unsatisfactory and required modification or replacement.
During validation of the written examination, several questions were modified or replaced. All changes made to the proposed written examination, were made in accordance with NUREG-1021, Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors, and documented on Form 2.3-5, Written Examination Review Worksheet.
The Form 2.3-5, the written examination outlines, and both the proposed and final written examinations, will be available electronically in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records component of NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) on October 24, 2026, (ADAMS Accession Numbers for the following: administrative files ML22336A034, examination outlines ML22336A031, proposed exam ML22336A028, and as-administered exam ML22336A035, respectively).
On October 24, 2023, the licensee submitted documentation noting that there were no post-examination comments for consideration by the NRC examiners when grading the written examination. The NRC examiners graded the written examination on October 25, 2024, and conducted a review of each missed question to determine the accuracy and validity of the examination questions. Post-examination analysis revealed no generic weaknesses in applicant performance.
4 (2) Operating Test The NRC examiners determined that the operating test, as originally proposed by the licensee, was within the range of acceptability expected for a proposed examination.
Less than 20 percent of the proposed operating test portion of the examination was determined to be unsatisfactory and required modification or replacement.
During the validation of the operating test, several Job Performance Measures (JPMs) were modified or replaced, and some modifications were made to the dynamic simulator scenarios. Changes made to the operating test portion of the examination, were made in accordance with NUREG-1021, Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors, and documented on Form 2.3-3, Operating Test Review Worksheet. The Form 2.3-3, the operating test outlines, and both the proposed and final as-administered dynamic simulator scenarios and JPMs, will be available electronically in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records component of NRC's ADAMS on October 24, 2026, (ADAMS Accession Numbers for the following: Administrative Files ML22336A034, examination outlines ML22336A031, Proposed Exam ML22336A028, and As-Administered Exam ML22336A035, respectively).
The NRC examiners completed operating test grading on November 8, 2024.
Post-examination analysis revealed generic weaknesses in applicant performance in the areas of using control switch flags to determine breaker position, checking bus phase voltages when transferring electrical bus lineups, attempting to restart tripped pumps when a functional standby pump exists, and supervisor positioning during reactivity manipulations. The licensee documented these general weaknesses in their corrective action program under MOC 600001234053.
(3) Examination Results Ten applicants at the Senior Reactor Operator (SRO) level and five applicants at the Reactor Operator (RO) level were administered written examinations and operating tests. Fifteen applicants passed all portions of their examinations and were issued their respective operating licenses on November 13, 2024. One SRO applicant was issued a Notification Letter pending the receipt of additional information pertaining to the completion of deferred items.
.2 Examination Security a.
Scope The NRC examiners reviewed and observed the licensee's implementation of examination security requirements during the examination validation and administration to assure compliance with Title10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Section 55.49, Integrity of Examinations and Tests. The examiners used the guidelines provided in NUREG 1021, Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors, to determine acceptability of the licensees examination security activities.
b.
Findings None.
5 4OA6 Meetings
.1 Debrief The chief examiner presented the examination teams preliminary observations and findings on October 21, 2024, to Doralee Solon, Operations Training Supervisor and other members of the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plants Operations and Training Department staff.
.2 Exit Meeting The chief examiner conducted an exit meeting on November 12, 2024, with Greg Brown via Microsoft Teams. The NRCs final disposition of the stations grading of the written examination and post-examination comments were disclosed and discussed. The chief examiner asked the licensee whether any of the retained submitted material used to develop or administer the examination should be considered proprietary. No proprietary or sensitive information was identified during the examination or debrief/exit meetings.
ATTACHMENT: SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
Attachment SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION KEY POINTS OF CONTACT Licensee G. Brown, Plant Manager T. Gagliardo, Vice President, Enterprise Learning and Technical Training S. Kotnik, General Manager, Nuclear and Technical Training C. Boegeman, Director, Nuclear Training S. Dornseif, Regulatory Affairs Manager M. Peterson, General Supervisor, Fleet Simulator D. Solon, Supervisor, Operations Training D. Mundt, Supervisor, Operations Training R. Becker, Exam Author Q. Kovanen, Shift Manager S. Gundlach, Operations Instructor M. Emanuelson, Regulatory Analyst U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission C. Norton, Senior Resident Inspector T. McGowan, Resident Inspector B. Bergeon, Chief Examiner T. Wingfield, Examiner B. Jebbia, Examiner K. Murphy, Examiner B. Litkett, Examiner J. Robb, Examiner ITEMS OPENED, CLOSED, AND DISCUSSED Opened, Closed, and Discussed MOC 600001234053 MOC 600001221001 MOC 600001224550 MOC 600001152719 LIST OF ACRONYMS USED ADAMS Agencywide Document Access and Management System JPM Job Performance Measure MOC Management of Change NRC U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission RO Reactor Operator SRO Senior Reactor Operator SIMULATION FACILITY FIDELITY REPORT Facility Licensee:
Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant Facility Docket No:
50-263 Operating Tests Administered:
October 14, 2024 through October 24, 2024 The following documents observations made by the NRC examination team during the initial operator license examination. These observations do not constitute audit or inspection findings and are not, without further verification and review, indicative of non-compliance with 10 CFR 55.45(b). These observations do not affect NRC certification or approval of the simulation facility other than to provide information which may be used in future evaluations. No licensee action is required in response to these observations.
During the conduct of the simulator portion of the operating tests, the following items were observed:
ITEM DESCRIPTION None N/A