IR 05000266/2011301

Er 05000266-11-301(DRS), 05000301-11-301(DRS), on 04/25/2011 - 05/12/2011, Nextera Energy, Point Beach, LLC, Point Beach Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2, Initial License Examination Report

ML11165A231
Person / Time
Site:	Point Beach
Issue date:	06/13/2011
From:	Hironori Peterson Operations Branch III
To:	Meyer L Point Beach
References
ER-11-301
Download: ML11165A231 (10)

Text

une 13, 2011

SUBJECT:

NEXTERA ENERGY POINT BEACH, LLC; NRC INITIAL LICENSE EXAMINATION REPORT 05000266/2011301(DRS); 05000301/2011301(DRS)

Dear Mr. Meyer:

On May 12, 2011, the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) completed the initial operator licensing examination process for license applicants employed at your Point Beach Nuclear Power Plant, Units 1 and 2. The enclosed report documents the results of those examinations. Preliminary observations noted during the examination process were discussed on May 4, 2011, with you and other members of your staff. An exit meeting was conducted by telephone on May 13, 2011, between Mr. D. Lauterbur of your staff and Mr. D. McNeil, Senior Operations Engineer, to review the proposed grading of the written examination for the license applicants. During the telephone conversation NRC resolutions of the station=s post examination comments, initially received by the NRC on May 12, 2011, were discussed.

The NRC examiners administered an initial license examination operating test during the weeks of April 24, 2011, and May 1, 2011. The written examination was administered by an NRC examiner and members of the Point Beach Nuclear Power Plant Training Department personnel on May 4, 2011. Eight Senior Reactor Operator and two Reactor Operator applicants were administered license examinations. The results of the examinations were finalized on June 1, 2011. All ten applicants passed all sections of their respective examinations. Six applicants were issued senior operator licenses and two applicants were issued operator licenses. The remaining two Senior Reactor Operator applicants will be issued Senior Operating Licenses upon completion of all licensing requirements and certification by you, in writing, that the requirements have been completed.

The written examination and other related written examination documentation will be withheld from public disclosure for 24 months per a verbal request from the stations training manager. In accordance with 10 CFR 2.390 of the NRC's "Rules of Practice," a copy of this letter and its enclosures will be available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records System (PARS) component of NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS), accessible from the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html (the Public Electronic Reading Room).

Sincerely,

/RA by R. K. Walton for/

Hironori Peterson, Chief Operations Branch Division of Reactor Safety Docket No. 50-266; 50-301 License No. DPR-24; DPR-27

Enclosures:

1. Operator Licensing Examination Report 05000266/2011301(DRS);

05000301/2011301(DRS)

w/Attachment: Supplemental Information 2. Simulation Facility Report

REGION III==

Docket No: 50-266; 50-301 License No: DRP-24; DPR 27 Report No: 05000266/2011301(DRS); 05000301/2011301(DRS)

Licensee: NextEra Energy Point Beach, LLC Facility: Point Beach Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2 Location: Two Rivers, WI Dates: April 25, 2011 through May 12, 2011 Inspectors: D. McNeil, Senior Operations Engineer R. Walton, Senior Operations Engineer D. Reeser, Operations Engineer Approved by: H. Peterson, Chief Operations Branch Division of Reactor Safety Enclosure 1

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

ER 05000266/2011301(DRS); 05000301/2011301(DRS); 04/25/2011 - 05/12/2011;

Nextera Energy, Point Beach, LLC, Point Beach Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2. Initial License Examination Report.

The announced initial operator licensing examination was conducted by regional Nuclear Regulatory Commission examiners in accordance with the guidance of NUREG-1021, AOperator Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors,@ Revision 9.

Examination Summary:

All ten applicants passed all sections of their respective examinations. Six applicants were issued senior operator licenses and two applicants were issued operator licenses.

Two Senior Reactor Operator license applicants had not completed all experience requirements to receive a license. Licenses will be withheld until all experience requirements are completed.

(Section 4OA5.1)

REPORT DETAILS

4OA5 Other

.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 9, Supplement 1, to develop, validate, administer, and grade the written examination and operating test. The NRC examiners prepared the outline and developed the written examination and operating test with the assistance of the Point Beach Nuclear Plant Training Department. The NRC examiners validated the proposed examination during the week of April 4, 2011, with the assistance of members of the facility licensees staff. During the on-site validation week, the examiners audited eight 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 April 25, 2011 through May 2, 2011. The facility licensee and an NRC examiner administered the written examination on May 4, 2011.

b. Findings

(1) Written Examination During the validation of the written examination several questions were modified or replaced. Changes made to the written examination were documented on Form ES-401-9, AWritten Examination Review Worksheet@ (ADAMS Accession Number ML11112A066) which will be available electronically in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records System (PARS) component of NRC's Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) in 24 months.

On May 12, 2011, the licensee submitted documentation noting that there were two post-examination comments for consideration by the NRC examiners when grading the written examination. The facilitys post-examination comments and the NRCs resolution for the comments (ADAMS Accession Number ML11151A291), as well as the final as-administered examination and answer key (ADAMS Accession Number ML11151A290) will be available in 24 months electronically in the NRC Public Document Room or from ADAMS.

The NRC examiners graded the written examination on May 13, 2011, and conducted a review of each missed question to determine the accuracy and validity of the examination questions.

(2) Operating Test 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.

Some administrative JPMs were written at the Reactor Operator (RO) level and needed to be modified to test at the Senior Reactor Operator (SRO) level. One Control Room JPM was replaced because it would be prohibitively long. Another was replaced because it was determined that it did not test the correct Safety Function. Finally, a third Control Room JPM was replaced because the ROs did not perform any meaningful tasks in the JPM. An electrical bus failure was added to one of the scenarios to test that area of operator competency. Changes made to the operating test, documented in a document titled, AOperating Test Comments@ (ADAMS Accession Number ML11112A070), as well as the final as-administered dynamic simulator scenarios (ADAMS Accession Number ML11143A148) and JPMs (ADAMS Accession Numbers ML11143A130 and ML11143A137), are available electronically in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records component of NRC's document system (ADAMS).

The NRC examiners completed operating test grading on May 24, 2011.

(3) Examination Results Eight applicants at the SRO license level and two applicants at the RO license level were administered written examinations and operating tests. All applicants passed all portions of their examinations. Six applicants at the SRO level were issued SRO licenses; two applicants at the RO level were issued RO licenses. Two applicants at the SRO level passed the examination, but their licenses were withheld because they had not completed all experience requirements to receive an operating license. Upon certification of completion of the experience requirements in writing by the site vice president, the NRC will issue SRO operating licenses to the two applicants.

.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 10 CFR 55.49, AIntegrity 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 licensee=s examination security activities.

b. Findings

No findings of significance were discovered.

4OA6 Meetings

.1 Debrief

The chief examiner presented the examination team's preliminary observations and findings on May 3, 2011, to Mr. L. Meyer, Site Vice President and other members of the Point Beach Nuclear Power Plant, Units 1 and 2, Operations and Training Department staffs.

.2 Exit Meeting

The chief examiner conducted an exit meeting on May 13, 2011, with D. Lauterbur, Plant Training Manager by telephone. The NRC=s disposition of the station=s post-examination comments were disclosed and discussed with Mr. Lauterbur during the telephone discussion. The examiners asked the licensee whether any of the 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

Enclosure 1

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

KEY POINTS OF CONTACT

Licensee

L. Meyer, Site Vice President

R. Amundson, Operations Training Supervisor

R. Baird, Operations Training Supervisor

F. Flentje, Licensing Supervisor

A. Gustafson, Operations Training Instructor

R. Harrsch, Operations Director

T. Larson, Operations Supervisor (SRO)

D. Lauterbur, Training Manager

A. Zommers, Operations Training Instructor

NRC

S. Burton, Senior Resident Inspector

M. Thorpe-Cavanaugh, Resident Inspector

D. McNeil, Chief Examiner

R. Walton, Senior Examiner

D. Reeser, Examiner

ITEMS OPENED, CLOSED, AND DISCUSSED

Opened, Closed, and Discussed

None

LIST OF ACRONYMS USED

ADAMS Agency-Wide Document Access and Management System

CAP Corrective Action Program

CFR Code of Federal Regulations

DRS Division of Reactor Safety

ER Examination Report

JPM Job Performance Measures

NRC U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

RO Reactor Operator

SRO Senior Reactor Operator

Attachment

SIMULATION FACILITY REPORT

Facility Licensee: Point Beach Nuclear Power Plant, Units 1 and 2

Facility Docket No: 50-266; 50-301

Operating Tests Administered: April 25, 2011 - May 02, 2011

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

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

Enclosure 2

L. Meyer -2-

In accordance with 10 CFR 2.390 of the NRC's "Rules of Practice," a copy of this letter and its

enclosures will be available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document

Room or from the Publicly Available Records System (PARS) component of NRC's Agencywide

Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS), accessible from the NRC Web site at

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html (the Public Electronic Reading Room).

Sincerely,

/RA by R. K. Walton for/

Hironori Peterson, Chief

Operations Branch

Division of Reactor Safety

Docket No. 50-266; 50-301

License No. DPR-24; DPR-27

Enclosures: 1. Operator Licensing Examination Report 05000266/2011301(DRS);

05000301/2011301(DRS)

w/Attachment: Supplemental Information

2. Simulation Facility Report

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