Igor Linge, Deputy Director of Nuclear safety Institute

– New forms of cooperation are being arranged in order to prevent nuclear proliferation

Russia significantly contributes to strengthening of nuclear nonproliferation regime, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Corporation Modamed ElBaradei and his successor Yukiya Amano said during their meeting with Director General of Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation Sergey Kiriyenko in Vienna Sept 14 2009. The IAEA leaders said Russia was the only country consistently and transparently processing highly enriched uranium. Kiriyenko said that Russia was systematically retrieving fresh and spent highly enriched nuclear fuel from research reactors of Soviet design in third countries. The fuel was supplied to the reactors during the Soviet times in the framework of scientific-technical cooperation programs. Kiriyenko said that a cargo containing 500 kg of highly enriched uranium was delivered to one of the Russian ports Sept 14. The fuel would be enough for producing 7–8 bombs. But now after processing these 500 kg will be turned into low enriched fuel posing no threat to the nonproliferation regime.

For many years already Russia has been actively working to ensure nonproliferation and elimination of nuclear materials. One of the directions of this work is retrieval of highly enriched materials supplied to third countries in the Soviet times. At first, Russia started retrieving fresh highly enriched uranium and, then, spent fuel from such countries as Uzbekistan, Serbia, Latvia, Poland. Highly enriched materials are processed into low enriched fuel. Instead of weapons-grade uranium we get fuel for nuclear power plants, which makes the latter’s work safer and more efficient.

We have also converted research reactors so they can work on less enriched fuel. One more measure is elimination of plutonium, dismantlement of nuclear submarines and removal of their spent fuel.

New forms of cooperation are being arranged in order to prevent nuclear proliferation. For example, one of the preconditions for the construction of NPP in Bushehr was Iran’s commitment on retrieval of spent fuel.

Russia has retrieved from a research reactor in Poland 500 kg of highly enriched uranium. The cargo was delivered to one of the Russian ports on Monday, Director General of Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation Sergey Kiriyenkio said during his meetings with Director General of the International Atomic Energy Corporation Modamed ElBaradei and his successor Yukiya Amano in Vienna. During the IAEA 53rd general conference Russia and Serbia signed a contract for retrieval of spent fuel from Vinca research reactor. Vinca was shut down in 1984. The Government of Serbia is going to dismantle it. June 10 Russia and Serbia signed an inter-governmental agreement for return of fuel from Vinca to Russia. Serbia says that the estimated cost of the project is $54mln: Belgrade will provide $25mln, the EU and the United States – the rest. Russia is the only country consistently and transparently processing highly enriched uranium. As of today, the country has depleted 370 tons of weapons-grade uranium, which is equivalent to 14,700 nuclear bombs. By 2013 the country will process 130 tons more (i.e. 5,200 more bombs). Besides, Russia is systematically retrieving fresh and spent highly enriched nuclear fuel from research reactors of Soviet design in third countries. Since 2002 it has returned 470 kg of fresh and 415 kg of spent fuel from 12 countries. This fuel could hypothetically be used for production of 11 nuclear bombs.