United States to Aid Transfer of Russian-Origin Spent Fuel From Romanian Reactor

By Mike Nartker
Global Security Newswire

WASHINGTON — The United States and Romania signed an agreement Monday for U.S. help to repatriate Russian-origin spent nuclear fuel from a Romanian research reactor (see GSN, May 27).

Under the agreement, the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration would aid with the removal of spent fuel from a 2-megawatt research reactor at the Institute of Nuclear Physics and Engineering in the village of Magurele near Bucharest. The material would then be returned to Russia for storage. As host country, Romania would assist in the operation by providing security and other measures, NNSA spokesman Bryan Wilkes said today. 

In September 2003, a joint U.S.-Russian operation removed about 15 kilograms of Russian-origin fresh nuclear fuel originally slated to be used in the reactor from the Pitesti Institute for Nuclear Research, west of Bucharest (see GSN, Sept. 22, 2003).

Nuclear nonproliferation experts have warned of the proliferation risks posed by unsecured fresh and spent nuclear fuel at research reactors around the world, which could be attractive to terrorists seeking to develop crude nuclear or radiological weapons. In late May, U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham announced the launch of the U.S. Global Threat Reduction Initiative, which seeks to work with Russia to repatriate all Russian-origin fresh highly enriched uranium fuel by the end of 2005 and accelerate and complete the return of all Russian-origin spent fuel by 2010 (see GSN, May 26). According to the NNSA, there are about 4 metric tons of Russian-origin nuclear material at 20 reactor sites in 17 countries (see GSN, June 7).

While refusing to provide specific details as to when spent fuel would be returned from the Magurele reactor, Wilkes said that all Russian-origin spent fuel in Romania is set to be repatriated by the end of 2006. 

Many details of the U.S. plan to support the effort remain undisclosed, such as, the cost of the operation, the current security situation at the Romanian site, and how much material is set to be returned to Russia from the reactor. A 2000 study prepared by the European Commission says there are 226 spent fuel assemblies in storage at the reactor site.

Romania decided in 2002 to permanently shut down the Magurele reactor, which had been inactive since 1997, to prepare it for decommissioning, according to the U.S. Energy Department. 

The U.S.-Romanian agreement on implementing nuclear nonproliferation projects was signed Monday in Washington at the Romanian Consulate by Abraham and Romanian Minister Delegate of the Commission for Nuclear Energy Serban Valeca.

“This agreement provides yet another excellent opportunity for the United States and Romania to work together to reduce the threat of terrorism through the removal of proliferation-attractive material under the Global Threat Reduction Initiative,” Abraham said Monday in a press statement.

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