United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Office of Public Affairs

Washington, DC 20555

Phone 301-415-8200 Fax 301-415-2234

Internet:opa@nrc.gov

No. 97-109 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Friday, August 1, 1997)

COMMISSION PUBLISHES PROPOSED RULE FOR UTILITY ROLE

IN INITIAL REACTOR OPERATOR LICENSE EXAMINATIONS

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has proposed an amendment

to its regulations requiring that all nuclear power plant

licensees prepare, proctor, and grade their initial reactor

operator license examinations and prepare their operating tests

subject to NRC approval. The Commission is also asking for

public comment on the proposed rule.

Until a final rule is adopted, applicants for operator

licenses will continue to be examined by using either NRCprepared tests or those prepared by utilities participating

voluntarily in an NRC-supervised pilot program begun in 1995.

Reactor operator applicants seeking a license to manipulate

the controls of a nuclear power plant must pass both a

comprehensive, multiple-choice written test and a practical,

hands-on examination. The generic fundamentals examination, a

separate written test that each applicant must pass to be

considered for the final license examination, will continue to be

written and administered by the NRC.

All examinations drafted by utilities and tailored to their

specific plants would be subject to review, modification, and

approval by NRC examiners before the tests are given. If the

submitted test or examination fails to meet NRC's quality

standards, the NRC would have the option of preparing the test or

examination in lieu of accepting or modifying one prepared by a

utility. The NRC will continue to administer and grade the

hands-on portion of the test, including a control room simulator

examination and a one-on-one demonstration of specific operating

tasks.

In order for the examinations to be approved by the NRC,

they must comply with detailed NRC guidance which deals with

matters as the appropriate level of knowledge and difficulty,

maintenance of examination security, and restrictions on test

preparation by those significantly involved in training license

applicants. "Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power
Reactors" (NUREG-1021) has been revised as guidance for

implementation of the new process.

After the revised licensing examination process has become

fully operational, the NRC staff will prepare at least one

examination annually in each of the agency's four regions to

ensure that proficiency in examination writing is maintained and

to serve as a quality check on the process.

Historically, either NRC staff examiners or NRC contractors

have prepared and administered all operator license tests. In

April 1995, the Commission approved a staff proposal to begin a

pilot program in which nuclear power plant licensees would

prepare the tests under NRC oversight. The Commission took this

action in recognition of the substantial improvements in industry

training programs, to make the operator licensing more efficient,

and to realize budgetary savings.

The NRC staff solicited volunteers for a pilot program in

August 1995, and launched the program two months later. Between

October 1995 and April 1996, the staff reviewed and approved 22

operator licensing examinations prepared by utilities in

accordance with published NRC guidance. These examinations were

used to test 1146 applicants for reactor operator and senior

reactor operator licenses.

NRC has been spending between $3 million and $4 million

annually on contractor support for the operator licensing

program. Licensing of operators for research and test reactors

who will continue to be examined by the NRC would be unaffected

by this proposed rule. Also unchanged would be the present

system whereby utilities prepare and administer requalification

examinations to licensed operators as part of an NRC-approved

training program.

Full details of the proposed rule will be included in a

notice that will be published shortly in the Federal Register.

Comments should be submitted no later than 75 days after

publication. They may be sent to: Secretary, U.S. Nuclear

Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555, Attn: Docketing and

Service Branch. Comments may be hand-delivered to 11545

Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD, between 7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. on

Federal workdays.

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