nuclear-news

18 countries sending weapons grade uranium to USA

U.S. a Popular Destination for the World’s Unwanted Nuclear Supply, By Judson Berger – FOXNews.com13 April 2010, The United States rapidly is becoming the hottest destination for unwanted nuclear fuel, as the Obama administration steps up efforts to relieve other countries of their weapons-grade nuclear supplies…… More often than not, any country that agrees to give up years’ worth of enriched uranium is sending the radioactive material to the United States. The nuclear material is typically kept at one of two facilities: the Savannah River Site near Aiken, S.C., or the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tenn.

This raises concerns about cost, since the U.S. devotes millions of dollars to converting the material. And it could raise questions about security, too.

U.S. officials insist the supply is safer in the United States than anywhere else in the world, and they say the U.S. is best-equipped to handle it. ……

Under typical agreements with other countries, the United States takes their highly enriched uranium in exchange for low-enriched uranium that can be used for peaceful purposes.

The United States then takes the highly enriched uranium and downgrades it for future use, storing it at the sites in Tennessee and South Carolina, which the NNSA official said are “highly guarded.” That supply, after being blended with other materials making it unsuitable for a weapon, can later be used as fuel at commercial power plants. ….

Obama has requested $559 million, or a 68 percent increase, for next year’s budget for the Global Threat Reduction Initiative — the NNSA arm tasked with handling the high-risk nuclear material around the world.

Logan said the risk of nuclear terrorism is not as high as some make it out to be. But he said even a “marginal decrease” in risk may be worth the price of sending the material to the United States for storage and processing.

So far, the NNSA has completely “cleaned out” weapons-grade nuclear material from 18 countries, including Chile. FOXNews.com – U.S. a Popular Destination for the World’s Unwanted Nuclear Supply

April 14, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, USA | antinuclear, enriched, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, uranium