Safe nuclear material in Kazakhstan
Fissile material that could be used to create 775 nuclear weapons is now safe and secure in Kazakhstan thanks to the help of DECC.
The three tonnes of weapons grade plutonium and ten tons of highly enriched uranium were transported by rail under tight security 1,800 miles across the breadth of Kazakhstan in an international operation to reduce the risk of this legacy from the Former Soviet Union falling into the hands of terrorists and hostile states.
From 2002-2010 the UK has been working with colleagues from the US and Kazakhstan to irreversibly shut down the former Soviet weapons-grade-plutonium-producing fast breeder nuclear reactor at Aktau, in the West of Kazakhstan on the coast of the Caspian Sea.
A major part of the project was transferring the fissile material to safe and secure long term storage. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will ensure the material remains secure.
The skills and experience of the UK’s project management contractors Nuvia Ltd have been particularly valuable and much appreciated by US and Kazakh colleagues, said Fiona Harrison, Head of the DECC Global Threat Reduction Programme.
spotlight on those involved
Fiona Harrison, Head of DECC's Global Threat Reduction Programme, along with
- David Moran, the UK’s Ambassador to Kazakhstan,joined with
- Anne Harrington, Deputy Administrator at the US Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration,
- as well as colleagues from the IAEA and Kazakhstan
acknowledged the success of this major nuclear non-proliferation project.
Fiona added:
“Flying over the desolate cratered wastes of Siberia in an incongruously bright orange, very noisy and rather uncomfortable former Soviet military helicopter before circling down over the collection of bright white casks was quite an experience.
“Unlike many of those present I had not spent years in harsh conditions and subzero temperatures working to deliver this project but was delighted to be representing the UK at the ceremony to mark the completion of this collaborative project, which has made an important contribution to global security – and to President Obama’s goal, supported by the UK, of securing all vulnerable fissile material during his Presidency.”
The UK will wind up its technical support at Akatu including the completion of radiological surveys to confirm that no fissile material has been left behind, over the course of 2011.