ML25154A552
| ML25154A552 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Arkansas Nuclear  |
| Issue date: | 06/03/2025 |
| From: | Harrington C NRC/RGN-IV/DORS/OB |
| To: | Pehrson D Entergy Operations |
| References | |
| IR 2026301 | |
| Download: ML25154A552 (1) | |
See also: IR 05000313/2026301
Text
June 03, 2025
Doug Pehrson, Site Vice President
Arkansas Nuclear One
Entergy Operations, Inc.
N-TSB-58
1448 S.R. 333
Russellville, AR 72802-0967
SUBJECT:
ARKANSAS NUCLEAR ONE, UNIT 1 - NOTIFICATION OF NRC INITIAL
OPERATOR LICENSING EXAMINATION 05000313/2026301
Dear Doug Pehrson:
In a telephone conversation on May 1, 2025, between Chris Norwood, Exam Lead and myself,
arrangements were made for the administration of operator licensing examinations at Arkansas
Nuclear One, Unit 1 during the week of February 9, 2026.
As agreed during the telephone conversation, your staff will prepare the examinations based on
the guidelines in Revision 12 to 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
outlines by September 3, 2025. The NRC staff provided the written examination outline
May 1, 2025. 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 November 24, 2025. 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 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 January 5, 2026.
To conduct the requested written examinations and operating tests, your staff will need to
provide adequate space and accommodations and to make the simulation facility available on
the dates noted above.
UNITED STATES
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
REGION IV
1600 E. LAMAR BLVD
ARLINGTON, TX 76011-4511
D. Pehrson
2
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.
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 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 me 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 or as directed when I am contacted 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 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 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.
D. Pehrson
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. Chris Norwood has been advised of the policies
and guidelines referenced in this letter. If you have any questions about the NRCs examination
procedures and guidelines, please contact me at 817-200-1254, or Heather Gepford, Chief,
Operations Branch at 817-200-1159.
Sincerely,
Chris Harrington, Operations Engineer
Operations Branch
Division of Operating Reactor Safety
Docket No. 05000313
License No. DPR-51
Electronic Distribution via LISTSERV
Signed by Harrington, Chris
on 06/03/25
SUNSI Review:
ADAMS:
Non-Publicly Available
Non-Sensitive
Keyword:
By: CMH
Yes No
Publicly Available
Sensitive
NRR-079
OFFICE
RIV/DORS/OB
NAME
CHarrington
SIGNATURE
/RA/
DATE
06/03/25