Starting in 1945, and until the 1990s, uranium ore from deposits in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan was milled into yellowcake at a uranium production facility in Chkalovsk, known as Leninabad Mining and Chemical Combine (Leninabad Mill). The facility was most recently operated by Vostochnyy Rare Metal Industrial Association, and is usually referred to as Vostokredmet for short. The uranium for the first Soviet nuclear bomb tested at Semipalatinsk in August 1949 came from the facility at Chkalovsk. Vostokredmet reportedly continues to process small amounts of uranium, though its main focus is on the processing of gold, silver, and other precious metals. According to the 2001 IAEA/OECD Red Book, Tajikistan has no reported mineable uranium resources. [2]

The Argus nuclear reactor, a research reactor designed to run on 21% enriched uranium, was completed in 1991 in Dushanbe, but was never loaded with fuel. While government officials initially expressed interest in obtaining fuel and operating the reactor, in 2007 Tajikistan reportedly contacted the IAEA to request assistance in dismantling the reactor and replace it with a particle accelerator.[3]

The Nuclear and Radiation Safety Agency (NRSA) at the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tajikistan, established in January 2003, is the state regulatory authority on ensuring radiation safety and radionuclide monitoring. Aside from regulatory functions, the NRSA's mission includes "accounting, control, and search of radioactive sources, regulation of the use of radioactive sources in peaceful purposes, radiation monitoring, investigations and research in the field of nuclear and hydrogen power engineering, and cooperation with international organizations and foundations."

While Tajikistan has no operational nuclear reactors, there are strong radiation sources on Tajikistani territory that were used for industrial applications in the Soviet era. Moreover, due to the country’s extensive role in the Soviet uranium production complex, Tajikistan has 10 waste sites with uranium tailings. According to estimates by the IAEA, these sites have millions of tons of process residue tailings, which present a great health hazard to the population and the environment. While the IAEA has promised to provide the necessary technical assistance to secure the tailings sites, Tajikistan has been looking for donor funding in order to carry out the necessary operations. [4]

Tajikistan joined four other Central Asian States--Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan--in signing a treaty creating a Central Asian Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (CANWFZ) on 8 September 2006. Dushanbe has been a party to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) since 1998. Moreover, Dushanbe has supported the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism and is a state party to the Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism. For more information on Tajikistan’s nonproliferation policies, see the Other Resources section in the right-hand column.

	Updated January 2008

Key Sources:
[1] Letter dated 11 January 2005 from the Permanent Representative of Tajikistan to the United Nations addressed to the Chairman of the Committee (pursuant to Resolution 1540), 12 January, 2005, S/AC.44/2004, http://disarmament2.un.org/Committee1540/
[2] "Uranium 2001: Resources, Production, and Demand," (Red Book) IAEA/OECD, 2002.
[3] "Tadzhikistan za nedeliu," IA Volgainform, 16 August, 2007; in Integrum Techno, http://www.integrum.com/
[4]"Central Asian Countries Face Radiological Legacy," IAEA Staff Report, 28 June, 2007, http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/News/2007/tajikistansites.html/