ML18121A306

Notification of NRC Initial Operator Licensing Examination 05000397/2019301

ML18121A306
Person / Time
Site:	Columbia
Issue date:	04/30/2018
From:	Vincent Gaddy Operations Branch IV
To:	Sawatzke B Energy Northwest
Gaddy V
References
50-397/19-301
Download: ML18121A306 (4)

See also: IR 05000397/2019301

Text

April 30, 2018

Mr. Brad Sawatzke, Chief Executive Officer

Energy Northwest

MD 1023

P.O. Box 968

Richland, WA 99352

SUBJECT: COLUMBIA GENERATING STATION - NOTIFICATION OF NRC INITIAL

OPERATOR LICENSING EXAMINATION 05000397/2019301

Dear Mr. Sawatzke:

In a telephone conversation on April 11, 2018, between Mr. Rich Meyers, Operations

Training Manager, and Mr. John Kirkland, Chief Examiner, arrangements were made for the

administration of operator licensing examinations at Columbia Generating Station during the

week of February 25, 2019.

As agreed during the telephone conversation, your staff will prepare the examinations based on

the guidelines in Revision 11, of NUREG-1021, Operator Licensing Examination Standards for

Power Reactors. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commissions (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 28, 2018. The written examination outline was provided to your staff on

April 11, 2018. The written examinations, operating tests, and supporting reference materials

identified in Attachment 3 to ES-201 will be due by September 28, 2018. Pursuant to Title 10,

Section 55.40(b)(3), 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 28, 2019.

To conduct the requested written examinations and operating tests, it will be necessary for your

staff to provide adequate space and accommodations in accordance with ES-402, and to make

the simulation facility available on the dates noted above. In accordance with ES-302, your staff

should retain the original simulator performance data (e.g., system pressures, temperatures,

and levels) generated during the dynamic operating tests along with any video and audio

recordings of the dynamic operating tests until the NRC takes its licensing action on all of the

B. Sawatzke 2

applications, and any adjudicatory actions on any hearing demands are complete. Appendix E

to NUREG-1021 contains a number of NRC policies and guidelines that will be in effect while

the written examinations and operating tests 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) approval number 3150-0090), at least 60 days before the first examination

date (if able). Mr. Kirkland should be contacted to determine the method for submission of the

waiver and/or excusal requests. Preliminary reactor operator and senior reactor operator

license applications (OMB approval number 3150-0090) and medical certifications

(OMB approval number 3150-0024) should be submitted at least 30 days before the first

examination date. If the preliminary applications are not received 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 minimum guidelines for receiving waiver or excusal requests is 30 days before the

first examination date (preliminary) and 14 days before the first examination date (final), the

requests should be submitted as early in the process as possible (see the 60-day guideline,

above). Resolutions resulting from verbal inquiries by the licensee to the NRC are not binding.

Submittals addressing waivers and/or excusals should be in writing (i.e., on NRC Form 398, or

as directed when Mr. Kirkland is contacted to determine the method for submission). The

NRCs final decision on whether to grant a waiver or excusal will be documented on the final

(not preliminary) NRC Form 398 submitted for the applicant and will not be provided until the

final application is submitted to the NRC.

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 Office of Management and Budget, 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 collection. You may submit comments on any aspect of the information collection,

including suggestions for reducing the burden, to the FOIA, Privacy and Information Collections

Branch (T-5 F53), U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, or by

electronic mail to INFOCOLLECTS.RESOURCE@NRC.GOV; and to the Desk Officer, Office of

Information and Regulatory Affairs, NEOB-10202, (3150-0018), Office of Management and

Budget, Washington, DC 20503.

Public Protection Notification

The NRC may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a request for

information or an information collection requirement unless the requesting document displays a

currently valid OMB control number.

B. Sawatzke 3

In accordance with 10 CFR 2.390, Public Inspections, Exemptions, Requests for Withholding,

of the NRCs Rules of Practice and Procedure, a copy of this letter and its enclosures will be

available electronically for public inspection in the NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and

Management System (ADAMS). ADAMS is accessible from the Electronic Reading Room page

of the NRCs public Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html.

Thank you for your cooperation in this matter. Mr. Meyers has been advised of the policies

and guidelines referenced in this letter. If you have any questions regarding the NRCs

examination procedures and guidelines, please contact John Kirkland at 817-200-1771

or me at 817-200-1159.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Vincent G. Gaddy, Chief

Operations Branch

Division of Reactor Safety

Docket No. 50-397

License No. NPF-21

cc: Electronic Distribution

ML18121A306

SUNSI Review: ADAMS: Non-Publicly Available Non-Sensitive Keyword:

By: JCK Yes No Publicly Available Sensitive NRC-002

OFFICE SOE:OB C:OB

NAME JKirkland VGaddy

SIGNATURE /RA/ /RA/

DATE 4/30/18 4/30/18