Nuclear Regulatory Commission Issues Draft Guide for Qualification of Safety-Related Cables and Field Splices

Strategic Insights -

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued a draft Regulatory Guide (DG), DG-1442, titled "Qualification of Safety-Related Cables and Field Splices for Production and Utilization Facilities." This guide proposes Revision 1 of Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.211 of the same name and endorses, subject to certain conditions, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Standard 383-2023. The draft guide is available for public comment until September 8, 2025.

Key Takeaways:

  • The draft guide proposes a new approach for the environmental qualification of safety-related cables and field splices in production and utilization facilities, as required by the NRC's regulations.
  • The guide endorses IEEE Standard 383-2023, which provides guidance for the qualification of cables and splices, subject to certain conditions.
  • The draft guide applies to production and utilization facilities licensed under parts 50 and 52 of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR).
  • The previous version of this guide endorsed IEEE Standard 383-2003, but the new draft guide reflects the revisions made by IEEE in 2023.
  • The NRC is seeking public comment on the draft guide, and comments received after September 8, 2025, will be considered only if it is practical to do so.

Statistics:

  • The draft guide is available for public comment until September 8, 2025.
  • The previous version of the guide endorsed IEEE Standard 383-2003.
  • The 2023 revision of IEEE Standard 383 provided greater guidance for cable and splice qualification and clarified the existing principles of qualification provided by IEC/IEEE Std. 60780-323-2016.

Sources:

  • 10 U.S.C. § 2013 (2021)
  • 30 U.S.C. § 1601 (2021)
  • Code of Federal Regulations, title 10, part 50 (2020)
  • Code of Federal Regulations, title 10, part 52 (2020)
  • Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Standard 383-2023
  • International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)/IEEE Std. 60780-323-2016
  • Nuclear Regulatory Commission, "Regulatory Guide 1.211" (2020)
  • Regulatory Commission, "Draft Regulatory Guide 1442" (2025)