IR 05000237/2008301

Initial License Examination Report 05000237-08-301, 05000249-08-301 on 03/03/2008 - 03/20/2008

ML081130368
Person / Time
Site:	Dresden
Issue date:	04/17/2008
From:	Hironori Peterson Division of Reactor Safety II
To:	Pardee C Exelon Generation Co
References
IR-08-301
Download: ML081130368 (13)

Text

April 17, 2008

SUBJECT:

DRESDEN NUCLEAR POWER STATION, UNITS 2 AND 3 NRC INITIAL LICENSE EXAMINATION REPORT 05000237/2008301; 05000249/2008301

Dear Mr. Pardee:

On March 20, 2008, Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) examiners completed the initial operator licensing examination process for an examination administered at your Dresden Nuclear Power Station, Units 2 and 3. The enclosed report documents the results of the examination which were discussed during a debrief on March 7, 2008, with Mr. T. Hanley, Ms. L. Jordan, and other members of your staff. An exit meeting was conducted by telephone on March 20, 2008, between Mr. C. Kolotka, Acting Operations Training Manager, of your staff and Mr. D. McNeil, NRC Senior Operations Engineer, to review the proposed final grading of the written examination for the license applicants. During the telephone conversation Mr. Kolotka stated that the Station had no post examination comments for this examination.

The NRC examiners administered an initial license examination operating test during the week of March 3, 2008. The written examination was administered by Dresden Nuclear Power Station training department personnel on March 10, 2008. Four (4) Senior Reactor Operator (SRO) and four (4) Reactor Operator (RO) applicants were administered license examinations.

The results of the examination were finalized on March 24, 2008. All eight applicants passed all sections of their respective examinations and were issued applicable operator licenses.

We will gladly discuss any questions you have concerning this examination.

In accordance with 10 CFR 2.390 of the NRCs Rules of Practice, a copy of this letter and its enclosure will be made available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records (PARS) component of NRCs document system (ADAMS), 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 Nos. 50-237; 50-249 License Nos. DPR-19; DPR-25 Enclosure:

1. Operator Licensing Examination Report 05000237/2008301; 05000249/2008301 2. Simulation Facility Report 3. Written Examinations and Answer Keys (RO/SRO)

cc w/encls 1 and 2:

Site Vice President - Dresden Nuclear Power Station

Plant Manager - Dresden Nuclear Power Station

Regulatory Assurance Manager - Dresden Nuclear Power Station

Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President

Senior Vice President - Midwest Operations

Senior Vice President - Operations Support

Vice President - Licensing and Regulatory Affairs

Director - Licensing and Regulatory Affairs

Manager Licensing - Clinton, Dresden, and Quad Cities

Associate General Counsel

Document Control Desk - Licensing

Assistant Attorney General

State Liaison Officer

Illinois Emergency Management Agency Chairman, Illinois Commerce Commission cc w/encls 1, 2, and 3: L. Jordan, Training Director

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

ER 05000237/2008301, 05000249/2008301; 03/03/2008 - 03/20/2008; Exelon Generation

Company, LLC, Dresden Nuclear Power Station, Units 2 and 3; 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 9.

• Eight license examinations were administered (four reactor operator and four senior reactor operator).

• Eight applicants passed all sections of their examinations, resulting in the issuance of four reactor operator and four senior reactor operator licenses.

REPORT DETAILS

4OA5 Other Activities

.1 Initial Licensing Examinations

a. Examination Scope

An announced operator licensing initial examination was conducted during the weeks of March 3 and March 10, 2008. 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, to develop, validate, administer, and grade the written examination and operating test. Members of the facility licensees staff prepared the outline and developed the written examination and operating test. The NRC examiners validated the proposed examination during the week of February 11, 2008, with the assistance of members of the facility licensees staff. The NRC examiners administered the operating test, consisting of job performance measures and dynamic simulator scenarios, during the period of March 3 through 7, 2008. The facility licensee administered the written examination on March 10, 2008.

b. Findings

Written Examination The NRC examiners determined that the written examination, as originally submitted by the licensee, was within the range of acceptability expected for a proposed examination.

All changes made to the submitted examination, were made in accordance with NUREG-1021, "Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors, and documented on Form ES-401-9, Written Examination Review Worksheet, which is available electronically in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records component of NRC's document system (ADAMS).

The licensee had no post-examination comments on the written examination, as stated in letter: SVPLTR # 08-0022, dated March 24, 2008, from Mr. D. Wozniak.

The NRC examiners completed the final grading of the written examination on March 20, 2008, and conducted a review of each missed question to determine the accuracy and validity of the examination questions.

Operating Test The NRC examiners determined that the operating test, as originally submitted by the licensee, was within the range of acceptability expected for a proposed examination.

All changes made to the submitted examination, were made and documented in accordance with NUREG-1021, "Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors." Changes were documented in a document titled, Operating Test Comments, which is 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 March 20, 2008.

Examination Results Four

(4) applicants at the Senior Reactor Operator (SRO) level and four

(4) applicants at the Reactor Operator (RO) level were administered written and operating tests. Eight

(8) applicants passed all sections of their examinations resulting in the issuance of four

(4) senior reactor operator and four

(4) reactor operator licenses.

.2 Examination Security

a. Scope

The NRC examiners briefed the facility contact on the NRCs requirements and guidelines related to examination physical security (e.g., access restrictions and simulator considerations) and integrity in accordance with 10 CFR 55.49, Integrity of Examinations and Tests, and NUREG-1021, Operator Licensing Examination Standard for Power Reactors. The examiners reviewed and observed the licensees implementation and controls of examination security and integrity measures (e.g., security agreements) throughout the examination process.

b. Findings

The examiners reviewed an issue report, written by Corporate Training, on an investigation of an occurrence where Initial License Training (ILT) students had developed and were sharing an informal bank of exam questions. The bank was developed by documenting, from memory, questions and answers from various examinations that had been given throughout the duration of the ILT class. There are no NRC regulations that would preclude this practice by the ILT students. However, the practice was contrary to the facility licensees procedure on examination security and administration, in that an uncontrolled file existed outside the closed exam bank, with the potential for future compromise. The facility licensee took prompt corrective action to stop the practice of collecting exam questions and answers, and erased the information from the students company-issued laptop computers and memory storage devices.

Additional corrective actions are being considered, in accordance with the facility licensees corrective action program. The NRC examiners reviewed the licensees corrective actions and verified that there were no questions in the informal question bank that were on the NRC licensing written examination. The examiners determined that there was no compromise of the administered NRC licensed operator written examination.

4OA6 Management Meetings

.1 Debrief

The chief examiner presented the examination team's preliminary observations and findings on March 7, 2008, to Mr. T. Hanley, Ms L. Jordan, and other members of the Dresden Nuclear Power Station staff. 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.

.2 Exit Meeting

The chief examiner conducted an exit meeting on March 20, 2008, with C. Kolotka, Acting Operations Training Manager, by telephone. The NRCs preliminary written examination results were discussed during the telephone conversation. Mr. Kolotka stated that there were no post examination comments for the examination.

ATTACHMENT:

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

KEY POINTS OF CONTACT

Licensee personnel

D. Wozniak, Site Vice President

T. Hanley, Plant Manager

C. Barajas, Operations Director

J. Ellis, Regulatory Assurance Manager

J. Griffin, Regulatory Assurance - NRC Coordinator

D. Leggett, Nuclear Oversight Manager

L. Jordan, Training Director

NRC personnel

C. Phillips, Senior Resident Inspector

D. Melendez, Resident Inspector

D. McNeil, Chief Examiner

D. Reeser, Examiner

C. Zoia, Examiner

LIST OF ITEMS OPENED, CLOSED, AND DISCUSSED

None