ML18333A306

NRC Initial License Examination Report 05000288/2018301 and 05000306/2018301 (Rdb)

ML18333A306
Person / Time
Site:	Prairie Island
Issue date:	11/29/2018
From:	Randy Baker Operations Branch III
To:	Sharp S Northern States Power Company, Minnesota
Shared Package
ML17165A317	List: IR 05000288/2018301 ML18333A306 ML22179A239 ML22179A243 ML22179A245 ML22179A247 ML22179A249 ML22179A250 ML22179A254 ML22179A256
References
50-282/18-301, 50-306/18-301
Download: ML18333A306 (10)

See also: IR 05000306/2018301

Text

November 29, 2018

Mr. Scott Sharp

Site Vice President

Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant

Northern States Power Company, Minnesota

1717 Wakonade Drive East

Welch, MN 55089-9642

SUBJECT: PRAIRIE ISLAND NUCLEAR GENERATING PLANT,

UNITS 1 AND 2NRC INITIAL LICENSE EXAMINATION

REPORT 05000288/2018301 AND 05000306/2018301

Dear Mr. Sharp:

On October 2, 2018, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) completed the initial

operator licensing examination process for license applicants employed at your Prairie Island

Nuclear Generating Plant. The enclosed report documents the results of those examinations.

Preliminary observations noted during the examination process were discussed on

September 18, 2018, with you and other members of your facilitys staff. An exit meeting

was conducted by telephone on October 16, 2018, between you and Mr. R. Baker, Operator

Licensing Chief Examiner, to review the proposed final grading of the written examination for

the license applicants. During the telephone conversation, the NRC confirmed that the station

did not have any post-examination comments requiring resolution.

The NRC examiners administered an initial license examination operating test during the weeks

of September 10 and 17, 2018. The written examination was administered by the Prairie Island

Nuclear Generating Plant Station training department personnel on September 20, 2018.

Eleven Senior Reactor Operator and four Reactor Operator applicants were administered

license examinations. The results of the examinations were finalized on October 30, 2018. All

fifteen applicants passed all sections of their respective examinations and eleven applicants

were issued senior operator licenses and four applicants were issued operator licenses for

Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant, Units 1 and 2.

The administered written examinations and operating tests, as well as documents related to

the development and review of the examinations (outlines, proposed examinations, review

comments, and resolutions, etc.), will be withheld from public disclosure for 24 months until

October 2, 2020.

S. Sharp -2-

This letter, its enclosure, and your response (if any) will be available electronically for public

inspection and copying at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html and at the NRCs Public

Document Room in accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 2.390,

Public Inspections, Exemptions, Requests for Withholding.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Robert J. Orlikowski, Chief

Operations Branch

Division of Reactor Safety

Docket Nos. 50-282, 50-306

License Nos. DPR-42, DPR-60

Enclosures:

1. OL Examination

Report 05000288/2018301;

05000306/2018301

2. Simulation Facility Fidelity Report

cc: Distribution via LISTSERV

T. Wadley, Training Manager,

Prairie Island Nuclear Generating

Plant

S. Sharp -3-

Letter to Scott Sharp from Robert Orlikowski dated November 29, 2018.

SUBJECT: PRAIRIE ISLAND NUCLEAR GENERATING PLANT,

UNITS 1 AND 2NRC INITIAL LICENSE EXAMINATION

REPORT 05000288/2018301 AND 05000306/2018301

DISTRIBUTION:

Christopher Cook

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RidsNrrDirsIrib Resource

Steven West

Darrell Roberts

Jamnes Cameron

Allan Barker

DRPIII

DRSIII

Caroline Randiki

Colleen Schmidt

ADAMS Accession Number: ML18333A306

OFFICE RIII RIII

NAME RBaker:jw ROrlikowski

DATE 11/29/18 11/29/18

OFFICIAL RECORD COPY

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

REGION III

Docket Nos: 50-288; 50-306

License Nos: DPR-42; DPR-60

Report No: 05000288/2018301; 05000306/2018301

Licensee: Northern States Power Company, Minnesota

Facility: Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant, Units 1 and 2

Location: Welch, MN

Dates: September 10, 2018, through October 2, 2018

Inspectors: R. Baker, Senior Operations Engineer, Chief Examiner

C. Zoia, Senior Operations Engineer, Examiner

B. Bergeon, Operations Engineer, Examiner

Approved by: R. Orlikowski, Chief

Operations Branch

Division of Reactor Safety

Enclosure 1

SUMMARY

Examination Report 050002886/2018301; 05000306/2018301; 09/10/2018-10/02/2018;

Northern States Power Company, Minnesota; Prairie Island Nuclear Generating 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,

Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors, Revision 11.

Examination Summary

Fifteen of fifteen applicants passed all sections of their respective examinations.

Eleven applicants were issued senior operator licenses and four applicants were

issued operator licenses for Units 1 and 2. (Section 4OA5.1).

2

REPORT DETAILS

4OA5 Other Activities

.1 Initial Licensing Examinations

a. Examination Scope

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) examiners and members of the facility

licensees staff used the guidance prescribed in NUREG-1021, Operator Licensing

Examination Standards for Power Reactors, Revision 11, to develop, validate,

administer, and grade the written examination and operating test. The NRC examiners

prepared the written examination outline and members of the facility licensees staff

prepared the operating test outlines. Members of the facility licensees staff developed

the written examination and operating test. The NRC examiners validated the proposed

examination, with the assistance of members of the facility licensees staff, during the

week of August 13, 2018. During the onsite validation week, the examiners audited

two of the 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

September 10 through 17, 2018. The facility licensee administered the written

examination on September 20, 2018.

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. All changes made to the

proposed written examination were made in accordance with NUREG-1021, Operator

Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors, and were documented on

Form ES-401-9, Written Examination Review Worksheet. The written examination

outlines and worksheets, the proposed written examination and worksheets, as well as

the final Form ES-401-9, and the final as-administered examination and answer key, will

be publicly available electronically in the NRC Public Document Room or from the

Publicly Available Records component of NRC's Agencywide Document Access and

Management System (ADAMS) on October 2, 2020. (ADAMS Accession Numbers

ML17165A321, ML17165A322, ML17165A317, and ML17165A318, respectively.)

On October 2, 2018, the licensee submitted documentation noting that there were

no post-examination facility licensee comments, and no post-examination applicant

comments for consideration by the NRC examiners when grading the written

examination.

The NRC examiners graded the written examination on October 15, 2018, and

conducted a review of each missed question to determine the accuracy and

validity of the examination questions.

3

(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.

All changes made to the operating test were made in accordance with NUREG-1021,

Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors, and were

documented on Form ES-301-7, Operating Test Review Worksheet. The operating

test outlines and worksheets, the proposed operating test and worksheets, as well as

the final Form ES-301-7, and the final as-administered operating test, will be available

electronically in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records

component of NRC's ADAMS, on October 2, 2020. (ADAMS Accession Numbers

ML17165A321, ML17165A322, ML17165A317, and ML17165A318, respectively.)

On October 2, 2018, the licensee submitted documentation noting that there were

no post-examination facility licensee comments, and no post-examination applicant

comments for consideration by the NRC examiners when grading the operating test.

The NRC examiners completed operating test grading on October 16, 2018.

(3) Examination Results

Eleven applicants at the Senior Reactor Operator level and four applicants at the

Reactor Operator level were administered written examinations and operating tests.

All applicants passed all portions of their examinations and were issued their respective

operating licenses for Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant, Units 1 and 2 on

October 30, 2018.

.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 Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 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

No findings were identified.

4OA6 Management Meetings

.1 Debrief

The chief examiner presented the examination team's preliminary observations and

findings on September 18, 2018, to Mr. S. Sharp, Site Vice President, and other

members of the Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant Operations and Training

Department staff.

4

.2 Exit Meeting

A telephone exit meeting was conducted on October 16, 2018, by Mr. R. Baker,

Operator Licensing Chief Examiner, with Mr. S. Sharp, Site Vice President, and other

members of the licensee staff. The NRC confirmed that there were no post-examination

comments during the telephone discussion. The examiner 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

5

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

KEY POINTS OF CONTACT

Licensee

S. Sharp, Site Vice President

H. Hanson, Plant Manager

M. Peterson, Fleet General Supervisor Operations Training

T. Wadley, Training Manager

J. Connors, Regulatory Affairs Manager

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

L. Haeg, Senior Resident Inspector

K. Pusateri, Resident Inspector

R. Baker, Chief Examiner

ITEMS OPENED, CLOSED, AND DISCUSSED

Opened, Closed, and Discussed

None

LIST OF ACRONYMS USED

ADAMS Agencywide Document Access and Management System

NRC U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Attachment

SIMULATION FACILITY FIDELITY REPORT

Facility Licensee: Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant, Units 1 and 2

Facility Docket Nos: 50-288; 50-306

Operating Tests Administered: September 10-17, 2018

The following documents observations made by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

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 Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 55.45(b).

These observations do not affect U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 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

On the September 13, 2018, during the first run of Scenario #4, Event #3,

the pressurizer pressure master controller, 1HC431K (4304101),

Manual/Auto switch failed to shift to the manual position. The applicant took

manual control of the pressurizer spray valves and heaters for the

SWO B8D-056

remainder of the scenario, which did not adversely impact the remaining

scenario events. The switch was repaired following completion of the

scenario and, and the controller failure did not recur during subsequent

scenarios.

Enclosure 2