Nuclear Energy Insight
Fall 2012—Companies that supply America’s nuclear energy facilities know their customers aren’t the only ones keeping a sharp eye on quality. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), an independent nuclear safety watchdog, also inspects vendors of nuclear parts against rigorous standards and investigates reports of defective or suspect items. Now the agency has gone further with its efforts, joining forces with other investigative services that keep their eyes on the global supply chain.
As the challenges of international trade increases the NRC aims to keep the universe of parts that make up a nuclear energy facility free of quality issues.
“Substandard parts can potentially disrupt the safe operation of a plant or devices with a nuclear source,” said Cheryl McCrary, director of the NRC’s Office of Investigations. “While reports of this kind of substandard manufacturing have not been common, the trend toward a more globalized supply chain creates new challenges in the fight against the potential introduction of counterfeit parts into the nuclear industry.”
In July, the NRC became the 21st partner agency to the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center), part of the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The agreement between the NRC and the center outlines the collaborative investigative efforts and cooperation protocols the two agencies will share related to counterfeit, fraudulent and suspect parts and equipment used in nuclear energy facilities and devices using nuclear materials.
Founded in 2000, the IPR Center uses the expertise of its member agencies to share information, develop initiatives, coordinate enforcement actions and conduct investigations to fight criminal counterfeiting and piracy. Partner agencies include the FBI and other U.S. governmental investigative services, Interpol, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Mexican Revenue Service.
McCrary said the new collaboration will enhance information sharing between the NRC and partner agencies. “This gives us an early alert to potential problems, and extra eyes and ears around the world.”
The NRC also has consolidated internal groups that inspect vendors and their quality assurance programs. When the industry began developing new reactor projects several years ago, the NRC formed an organization with the Office of New Reactors to conduct vendor inspections related to these projects. A separate organization continued to investigate reports on defective or suspect products for operating reactors, focusing primarily on safety-related parts and services. The Office of New Reactors will now perform vendor inspections and quality assurance program inspections for both new and operating reactors through the newly created Vendor Inspection Center of Expertise.
The agency said the new approach will also provide a better environment for knowledge management for the vendor inspection staff and provide the junior staff better accessibility to senior staff for mentoring and on-the-job training so that they can grow in their areas of expertise.
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