September 22, 2014

Russian-Origin HEU Removed From Poland

By ExchangeMonitor

Despite tensions between the U.S. and Russia, 53 kilograms of highly enriched uranium was returned from Poland to an undisclosed facility in Russia last week in a joint operation coordinated by the National Nuclear Security Administration and work remains on track to complete the HEU cleanout of Poland by 2016, the NNSA said yesterday. The 53 kilograms represented the 10th shipment of Polish HEU that was returned to Russia. The material was taken from the Maria Reactor near Warsaw in an operation involving eight Russian organizations, four Polish organizations, the NNSA and Idaho National Laboratory.

Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz announced the shipment yesterday at the International Atomic Energy Agency General Conference. “Cooperation with Russia remains an essential element to the global effort addressing the threat posed by nuclear terrorism, and therefore, this cooperation supports key interests of both the United States and the international community,” the NNSA said in a statement. “The Department of Energy (DOE) closely evaluates all cooperative interactions with the Russian Federation on a case-by-case basis before making a determination on whether or not a specific engagement may continue as planned or if it should be canceled or postponed until a later date.”

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