Advanced Reactor Construction Oversight Program

As the nuclear industry’s design and construction methodologies evolve to accommodate new technologies, the NRC has developed a flexible oversight program to ensure the agency is applying a level of regulatory oversight commensurate with the risk posed by a variety of new facilities. Consistent with the NRC Principles of Good Regulation, the Advanced Reactor Construction Oversight Program (ARCOP) framework reflects an approach that optimizes the NRC’s established oversight framework to ensure the program is responsive to the evolving landscape of advanced reactor technologies.

Advanced reactor construction will include commercial micro-reactors, SMRs, and large reactors incorporating both LWR and non-LWR technologies. The NRC staff’s ARCOP vision looks to build on its construction oversight experience while remaining adaptable to future advancements in reactor technologies. This vision is based on the Guiding Principles shown below:

Similar to development of the operating Reactor Oversight Process (ROP) and cROP, the staff used a hierarchical approach to develop the advanced reactor construction regulatory oversight framework. The regulatory framework for ARCOP consists of three key strategic performance areas: quality of reactor plant construction, security and safeguards, and operational readiness.

Within each strategic performance area are cornerstones that reflect the essential safety aspects of construction that support facility operation. These five cornerstones include: reactivity control, heat removal, radionuclide retention, security programs, and operational programs. Each cornerstone will be inspected using a risk-informed, performance-based sampling methodology at a scale appropriate to the design to ensure that their objectives are being met.

The staff issued SECY-23-0048, “Vision for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Advanced Reactors Construction Oversight Program” to communicate to the Commission the plan to develop the ARCOP. SECY-25-0103, “Update of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Advanced Reactors Construction Oversight Program Development” provides the Commission information on the staff’s planned approach under the ARCOP for advanced reactor construction inspections, inspection finding significance determination process, project quality assessment, and enforcement.

Performance monitoring requirements are contained in the following Inspection Manual Chapters (IMCs).

• IMC 2570 is the ARCOP Basis Document which comprehensively describes the ARCOP Construction Inspection Program, or ACIP.
• IMC 2571 provides detailed requirements for dispositioning noncompliances that are identified during the ACIP.
• IMC 2572 provides detailed requirements for assessment of advanced reactor construction projects.
• IMC 2573 provides detailed requirements for inspection of the Quality of Reactor Plant Construction Strategic Performance Area.
• IMC 2574 provides detailed requirements for the inspection of the Operational Readiness Strategic Performance Area.