Note: The NRC Commissioners were briefed by industry representatives and NRC staff on issues associated with new reactor inspections, tests, analysis and acceptance criteria (ITAAC)
– By Linton Levy –
At our Commission meeting today, we continued to discuss the very important process used to verify that any new commercial nuclear power plant, with a combined license, has been constructed and will be operated in accordance with its license and NRC regulations. This process is called ITAAC, which stands for “inspections, tests, analysis and acceptance criteria.” The NRC staff has done a lot of work to determine under which circumstances a notification needs to be provided to the Commission and made available to the public regarding successfully completed ITAAC requirements, as well as changes required during the process.
Substantial progress has been made in bringing greater regulatory clarity to ITAAC closure and maintenance, and, in an effort to ensure the clarity and predictability of this process is enhanced, the staff has recommended proceeding with a change to the rules in the area of ITAAC closure and maintenance. Considering the schedules for reviewing combined construction and operating license (COL) applications, I support and encourage the staff to continue to move in an expedited manner to bring these much needed improvements to our regulations. This will be one of the most important steps in making sure that a new nuclear power plant was constructed according to all safety and operating requirements.
I commend the efforts of the staff, industry and other external stakeholders, for the progress made to date on refining and improving the ITAAC process.