No: 13-093 November 9, 2013

CONTACT: David McIntyre, 301-415-8200 

NRC Issues Revised U.S. National Report For 

Convention on Nuclear Safety

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has published its Sixth National Report for the 

Convention on Nuclear Safety, describing the U.S. government’s actions under the Convention to 

achieve a high level of safety for its nuclear power plants. 

The convention entered into force in 1996 and was ratified by the U.S. Senate in 1999. It 

establishes legally binding obligations for signatory states regarding national regulation and safety at 

commercial nuclear facilities.

The report demonstrates how the United States implements a high level of nuclear safety by 

enhancing national measures and international cooperation, and by meeting the obligations of all the 

articles established by the convention. These articles address the safety of existing nuclear installations, 

the legislative and regulatory framework, the regulatory body, responsibilities of licensees, human 

factors, quality assurance, radiation protection, emergency preparedness, siting, design and 

construction, among other issues. 

Countries that are parties to the convention meet every three years to discuss their reports. The 

NRC has submitted its report for peer review by other countries, and NRC officials will discuss the 

report and respond to peer review questions at the sixth review meeting of the Convention on Nuclear 

Safety at IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria, from March 24 to April 4, 2014.

This report addresses issues identified through the peer review conducted during the fifth review 

meeting in April 2011 and discusses challenges and issues that have arisen since that time. The fifth

review meeting identified the following NRC challenges:

• addressing buried piping degradation and ground water protection issues

• evaluating and responding to cyber security threats

• licensing digital instrumentation and control 

• enhancing the safety and security interface

The NRC highlighted the following planned initiatives at the fifth review meeting in April 

2011:
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• address Integrated Regulatory Review Service mission recommendations

• address buried piping degradation and ground water protection issues

• finalize the emergency preparedness rulemaking

This report also discusses the status of safety issues raised in the Fifth U.S. National Report, 

including reactor materials degradation, cyber security, digital upgrades to instrumentation and control, 

moisture effects on underground cables, using accident pressure buildup to maintain emergency core 

cooling functions, gas bubbles in light-water reactor coolant systems, enhancement to emergency 

preparedness regulations, as well as other issues that have arisen since 2010. It includes a discussion of 

NRC’s ongoing efforts to address lessons learned from the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear plant 

accident in Japan.

The report includes a section developed by the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO)

describing work done by the U.S. nuclear industry to ensure safety. INPO officials will also be part of 

the U.S. delegation to the Convention review meeting.

“United States of America Sixth National Report for the Convention on Nuclear Safety”

(NUREG-1650, Revision 5) is available on the NRC website.