The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration today said that it had extracted 162.5 pounds of spent nuclear fuel from Kazakhstan since last December (see GSN, Nov. 13, 2008).
(May. 19) -
U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration chief Thomas D'Agostino released a statement today lauding the removal of highly enriched uranium from Kazakhstan (U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration photo).
The agency returned the highly enriched uranium by rail to Russia, according to a press release.
"The shipment of highly enriched uranium from Kazakhstan continues the outstanding cooperation between the NNSA and government of Kazakhstan and is an important step forward in our national and global security," NNSA chief Thomas D'Agostino said in the release. "[U.S. President Barack Obama] has announced his intention to expand global threat reduction efforts aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and reducing the threat posed by unsecured or excess nuclear materials. This effort is a cornerstone of our nuclear security agenda. We look forward to building on this success with Kazakhstan through continued cooperation in future projects that meet the nonproliferation goals of our countries and the international community."
Through its Global Threat Reduction Initiative, the semiautonomous branch of the U.S. Energy Department has repatriated 1,844 pounds of Russian-origin fresh and spent highly enriched uranium from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Libya, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Uzbekistan and Vietnam (U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration release, May 19).
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan continues to consider becoming home to an international nuclear fuel bank, the Xinhua News Agency reported yesterday. If the plan proves technologically possible, Almaty is likely to offer its services to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Timur Zhantikin, head of the Kazakh Atomic Energy Committee, told Interfax (see GSN, April 6).
The international nuclear fuel bank is meant to guarantee access to fuel for peaceful nuclear energy to nations that agree to forgo development of capabilities that could produce weapon-grade nuclear material (Xinhua News Agency/ChinaView.cn, May 18).
“I congratulate the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) for the latest in a series of successful operations to secure vulnerable nuclear material. This operation gives terrorists one less target and helps make the world a safer place," former Senator Sam Nunn, co-chairman of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, said in a prepared statement. The U.S. government worked closely with Russia, Kazakhstan and the International Atomic Energy Agency to remove more than 160 pounds of dangerous nuclear material – enough to make three crude nuclear devices" (Nuclear Threat Initiative release, May 19).
[Editor's Note: Sam Nunn is co-chairman and chief executive officer of the Nuclear Threat Initiative. NTI is the sole sponsor of Global Security Newswire, which is published independently by the National Journal Group.]