Implementation of Complementary Accesses at NRC and NRC Agreement State Licensees

This paper describes, in detail, the process used by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to plan for and implement complementary accesses by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) under the auspices of the Protocol Additional to the Agreement between the United States of America and the International Atomic Energy Agency for the Application of Safeguards in the United States of America (U.S. Additional Protocol or U.S. AP). As part of the U.S. Government’s implementation of the U.S. AP, the NRC is responsible for the implementation and oversight of all U.S. AP related activities at NRC licensees 1. This paper examines the general flow of activities that occur before, during, and after the event while utilizing examples of past complementary accesses at NRC licensed facilities 2. Starting at the initial IAEA notification, the U.S. Government’s coordination and facility notification will be highlighted along with the general timeline of events during the day of the complementary access. Additionally, the responsibilities and rights of the facility and the U.S. Government will be reviewed along with the potential use of managed access and the national security exclusion (Article 1.b). Examples of actual complementary accesses will be used to provide meaningful context to the discussion.