IR 05000331/2015301

Er 05000331/2015301; 04/06/2015 - 04/20/2015; NextEra Energy Duane Arnold, LLC; Duane Arnold Energy Center; Initial License Examination Report

ML15142A390
Person / Time
Site:	Duane Arnold
Issue date:	05/21/2015
From:	Hironori Peterson Operations Branch III
To:	Vehec T NextEra Energy Duane Arnold
References
50-331/15-301 50-331/15-301
Download: ML15142A390 (13)

Text

UNITED STATES May 21, 2015

SUBJECT:

DUANE ARNOLD ENERGY CENTER NRC INITIAL LICENSE EXAMINATION REPORT 05000331/2015301

Dear Mr. Vehec:

On April 20, 2015, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) completed the initial operator licensing examination process for licensed applicants employed at your Duane Arnold Energy Center. The enclosed report documents the results of those examinations. Preliminary observations noted during the examination process were discussed on April 10, 2015, with you and other members of your staff. An exit meeting was conducted by telephone on April 24, 2015, between Mr. C. Hill, Training Manager, other members of your staff, and Mr. M. Bielby, Senior Operator Licensing Examiner, to review the proposed final grading of the written examination for the licensed applicants. During the telephone conversation, NRC resolution of the stations post-examination comment, initially received by the NRC on April 20, 2015, was discussed.

The NRC examiners administered an initial license examination operating test during the week of April 6, 2015. The written examination was administered by Duane Arnold Energy Center Training Department personnel on April 14, 2015. Five Senior Reactor Operator (SRO)

and three Reactor Operator (RO) applicants were administered license examinations. The results of the examinations were finalized on April 24, 2015. All eight applicants passed all sections of their respective examinations and four SROs were issued senior operator licenses and three ROs were issued operator licenses. In accordance with NRC policy, the license for the one remaining SRO applicant is being withheld pending certification by the facility that the applicant has fully satisfied the remaining portion of the six months on-site experience requirement that was deferred until after completion of the examination.

The written examination and other related written examination documentation will be withheld from public disclosure for 24 months per your request. In accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 2.390, Public Inspections, Exemptions, Requests for Withholding, of the NRC's "Rules of Practice," a copy of this letter, its enclosures, and your response (if any) will be available electronically for public inspection in the NRCs Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records (PARS)

component of the NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS).

ADAMS is accessible from the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html (the Public Electronic Reading Room).

Sincerely,

/RA/

Hironori Peterson, Chief Operations Branch Division of Reactor Safety Docket No. 50-331 License No. DPR-49

Enclosures:

1. Operator Licensing Examination Report (ER) 05000331/2015301 w/Attachment: Supplemental Information 2. Simulation Facility Report 3. Post-Examination Comment and Resolution

REGION III==

Docket No: 50-331 License No: DPR-49 Report No: 05000331/2015301 Licensee: NextEra Energy Duane Arnold, LLC Facility: Duane Arnold Energy Center Location: Palo, IA Dates: April 6 - 20, 2015 Examiners: C. Zoia, Senior Operations Engineer - Chief Examiner M. Bielby, Senior Operations Engineer - Examiner D. Reeser, Operations Engineer - Examiner J. Seymour, Operations Engineer - Examiner in Training Approved by: H. Peterson, Chief Operations Branch Division of Reactor Safety Enclosure 1

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

ER 05000331/2015301; 04/06/2015 - 04/20/2015; NextEra Energy Duane Arnold, LLC; Duane

Arnold Energy Center; Initial License Examination Report.

The announced initial operator licensing examination was conducted by regional U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission examiners in accordance with the guidance of NUREG-1021,

Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors, Revision 9, Supplement 1.

Examination Summary:

Eight of eight applicants passed all sections of their respective examinations. Four applicants were issued Senior Operator licenses and three applicants were issued Operator licenses.

The license for the remaining applicant is being held pending certification by the facility that the applicant has fully satisfied the six months on-site experience requirement that was deferred until after completion of the examination. (Section 4OA5.1).

REPORT DETAILS

4OA5 Other

.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 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. Because the NRC examiners developed the test outline, they conducted an early validation of the operating test at the stations site-specific simulator during the week of February 23, 2015. After the operating test development was complete, the NRC examiners validated the proposed examination during the week of March 16, 2015, with the assistance of members of the facility licensees staff. During the on-site validation week, the examiners audited 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 (JPMs) and dynamic simulator scenarios, during the period of April 6 - 10, 2015. The facility licensee administered the written examination on April 14, 2015.

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, Written Examination Review Worksheet, which will be available electronically in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records component of Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS).

On April 20, 2015, the licensee submitted documentation noting that there was one post-examination comment for consideration by the NRC examiners when grading the written examination. The post-examination comment and the NRC resolution for the post-examination comment is included as Enclosure 3 to this report. The proposed written examination, as well as the final as-administered examination and answer key (ADAMS Accession Number ML15125A418), will be available in 24 months electronically in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records component of NRC's ADAMS.

The NRC examiners graded the written examination on April 21, 2015, and conducted a review of each missed question to determine the accuracy and validity of the examination questions.

(2) Operating Test During validation of the operating test, some modifications were made to JPMs and dynamic simulator scenarios. The modifications were cosmetic in nature and added descriptions of actions to be performed by the applicants. Changes made to the operating test, documented in a document titled, Operating Test Comments, as well as the final as-administered dynamic simulator scenarios and JPMs, are available electronically in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records component of NRC's ADAMS.

The NRC examiners completed operating test grading on April 23, 2015.

(3) Examination Results Eight applicants passed all portions of their examinations and seven were issued their respective operating licenses on April 29, 2015. In accordance with NRC policy, the license for the remaining senior reactor operator (SRO) applicant is being withheld pending certification by the facility that the applicant has fully satisfied the six months on-site experience requirement, a portion of which was deferred until after completion of the examination.

.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

No significant findings were identified.

4OA6 Management Meetings

.1 Debrief

The chief examiner presented the examination team's preliminary observations and findings on April 10, 2015, to Mr. T. Vehec, Site Vice President, and other members of the Duane Arnold Energy Center Operations and Training Department staff.

.2 Exit Meeting

The acting chief examiner conducted an exit meeting on April 24, 2014, with C. Hill, Training Manager, by telephone. The NRCs final disposition of the Duane Arnold Energy Center stations post-examination comment was disclosed and discussed with Mr. Hill 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. The proposed and administered RO written examination Question 73 will be withheld from ADAMS public disclosure because it contains non-safeguards security-related information. The question will be placed in the non-public disclosure section of ADAMS.

ATTACHMENT:

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

KEY POINTS OF CONTACT

Licensee

T. Vehec, Site Vice President

S. Anderson, Exam Developer/Operations Instructor

R. Baird, Corporate Operations Training Manager

T. Biesterveld, General Supervisor Operations Training

M. Davis, Licensing/Emergency Preparedness Manager

J. Ford, Initial License Training

M. Gilbert, Assistant Operations Manager-Training

C. Hill, Training Manager

E. Murray, Continuing Training Manager

G. Rushworth, Exam Writer

M. Strope, Assistant Operations Manager

B. Udell, Exam Writer

S. Vick, Operations Instructor

R. Wheaton, Operations Director

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

L. Haeg, DAEC Senior Resident Inspector

C. Zoia, Senior Operations Engineer - Chief Examiner

M. Bielby, Senior Operations Engineer - Examiner

D. Reeser, Operations Engineer - Examiner

J. Seymour, Operations Engineer - Examiner in Training

ITEMS OPENED, CLOSED, AND DISCUSSED

None