Hundreds of Tons of Russian HEU Eliminated

The U.S.-Russian “Megatons to Megawatts” program has eliminated 275 metric tons of Russian highly enriched uranium — enough to manufacture 11,000 nuclear warheads, ITAR-Tass reported today (see GSN, March 27).

Since the agreement was signed in 1993, Russia has been converting the uranium to a low-enriched form, then selling it to USEC Inc. for use in nuclear reactors in the United States. The 20-year agreement calls for processing of 500 metric tons of highly enriched uranium that could power 20,000 atomic bombs.

“The Megatons to Megawatts program is successful because it meets the needs of all interested parties,” USEC President and CEO John Welch said in a statement. “It provides an important source of fuel for America’s nuclear reactors; it significantly reduces the amount of HEU remaining in the world; and it provides Russia with a substantial, dependable revenue source” (Andrei Seatov, ITAR-Tass, June 29).

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