Quality Assurance (QA) Inspections for New Reactor Licensing
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulates the construction and operation of new commercial nuclear power facilities. In doing so, the NRC performs inspections to determine whether licensees and their contractors are meeting the agency's requirements. In particular, the NRC reviews the quality assurance (QA) programs for commercial nuclear power plants, as well as any changes that reduce previous commitments to the plant’s QA program. For more detail, see the following topics on this page:
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QA Inspection Procedures
The NRC performs QA inspections to ensure that licensees and their contractors meet the following criteria:
- QA plans, instructions, and procedures for specific safety-related activities have been implemented as outlined in the QA program description.
- QA plans, instructions, and procedures conform to the QA program.
Toward that end, the NRC has established the following QA inspection procedures for design certifications, early site permits, and combined licenses:
| IP# | Issue Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| IP 35007 | 02/09/22 | Quality Assurance Program Implementation During Construction and Pre-Construction Activities |
| IP 35017 | 12/10/20 | Quality Assurance Implementation Inspection |
| IP 35034 | 03/23/20 | Design Certification Testing Inspection |
| IP 36100 | 02/10/23 | Inspection of 10 CFR Part 21 Programs for Reporting Defects and Noncompliance |
| Manual Chapter 0617 | 02/25/20 | Vendor and Quality Assurance Implementation Inspection Reports |
| Manual Chapter 2501 | 07/02/20 | Construction Inspection Program: Early Site Permit (ESP) |
| Manual Chapter 2502 | 07/02/20 | Construction Inspection Program: Pre-Combined License (Pre-COL) Phase |
| Manual Chapter 2508 | 09/06/16 | Construction Inspection Program: Design Certification |
QA Inspection and Audit Reports
Inspection and audit reports document the scope, observations, and findings of inspections and audits conducted by the NRC. The NRC performs inspections and audits to oversee the commercial nuclear industry to determine whether licensees and applicants (and their contractors) are meeting the agency's requirements. Toward that end, the NRC has conducted the following inspections for early site permit and combined license applications, and audits for pre-design certification and pre-combined license reviews.
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Page Last Reviewed/Updated Wednesday, May 06, 2026
Page Last Reviewed/Updated Wednesday, May 06, 2026