The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), in tandem with the Institute for Nuclear Physics (INP) of Almaty, Kazakhstan recently announced that the last remaining stores of highly-enriched uranium (HEU) have been repatriated from the institute’s VVR-K reactor.
In total, more than 200 kilograms of HEU were removed from the reactor which, according to the NNSA, is enough for the development of approximately eight nuclear weapons.
“This final removal will make INP HEU-free, ensuring that a bad actor can never acquire material from the site for a nuclear weapon,” said Dave Huizenga, NNSA’s acting deputy administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation. “This nonproliferation achievement is yet another example of Kazakhstan’s ongoing commitment to nuclear security.”
First launched in 1996, the partnership between the INP and NNSA began as part of an effort to better secure and account for nuclear material on site and to enhance the organization’s guard and response force capabilities.
In recent years, the NNSA assisted in work to convert the VVR-K reactor and critical assembly from HEU to low-enriched uranium (LEU), which is less attractive for nuclear proliferation. The project was successfully completed in late 2016.
NNSA also said it will continue work with INP at the recently opened Nuclear Security Training Center, which will serve as a focal point for nuclear security and nonproliferation trading efforts in Kazakhstan and Central Asia.