Protecting the safety and health of the public is Entergy employees’ overriding priority.

Port Gibson, Miss. – For reactor operators at Grand Gulf Nuclear Station, supporting Entergy’s commitment to safety constantly puts them to the test.

Every five weeks, licensed operators are taken off-shift for a week of re-qualification training and testing. The training follows a rigorous 18-month program completed to earn their licenses from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Control room operators are charged with protecting the safety and health of the public while generating power in a safe and responsible manner. Satisfactory completion of training every five weeks is required for operators to continue their control room duties.

“Every five weeks my job is in jeopardy,” said Bill Gordon, a control room supervisor at Grand Gulf. “That reality—along with a determination to ensure safety for employees and the community—motivates operators to always perform at peak levels.”

A licensed operator must also take an annual physical, an annual operating exam and a biennial written exam, all overseen by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Every six years operators must re-apply to the commission to renew their licenses and demonstrate that they continue to meet regulatory requirements.

“We train from the concept of nuclear safety – applying conservative bias and making sure we don’t get caught up in production demands versus the ultimate goal of safety,” said Charles Roberts, training superintendent at Grand Gulf.

In addition to understanding technical concepts, operators must also demonstrate skills in communications, coaching and teamwork. Exercises in the simulator are designed to mirror actual plant events, and crews are required to follow procedures and work together to resolve problems.

The expectation is for crews to identify their own improvement areas and help each other close gaps in performance, but training instructors, managers, regulators and other observers also weigh in with their own critiques.

“You have to check your pride at the door,” said Pat Berry, director of training and development for Entergy Nuclear. “You must have a willingness to be self-critical and accept criticism from co-workers and supervisors. It can be humbling the first few times you go through the process. You learn how to accept coaching and critiquing as part of the learning process.”

Qualified candidates must pass interviews and screening tests to be accepted into the 18-month license program, which involves a mix of classroom instruction, training assignments in the field and practice in the control room simulator, an exact replica of the control room inside the plant.

After a year-and-a-half of training, license candidates complete the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s week-long auditing process, during which they take written exams and perform simulator exercises.

Grand Gulf’s latest class of licensed operators graduated with a 100 percent pass rate. One of them is Ryan Meyer, a former system engineer who is now a senior reactor operator and a control room supervisor.

“I wanted to challenge myself to see if I could do it,” he said. “I’ve always had a respect for operators and the depth of their plant knowledge.”

Meyer said that safety was a constant focus during initial license training and remains a focal point in re-qualification training every five weeks.

“We talk about safety as it relates to operating experience and events from other plants around the country,” Meyer said. “In the simulator we perform emergency procedures and re-create actual events from the plant to sharpen our response and crew performance.

“We’re always aware that our number-one job is the safety and health of the public,” Meyer said. “The real reward is maintaining a safe environment for employees and for the community, and our training program is a true reflection of Grand Gulf’s commitment to safe operations.”

Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, and it is the second-largest nuclear generator in the United States. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.7 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $13 billion and approximately 14,700 employees.

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