USING COMMERCIAL REACTORS TO DISPOSE OF EXCESS WEAPONS PLUTONIUM IN RUSSIA AND THE UNITED STATES

The US and Russia have made considerable progress in meeting the disarmament objectives of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Presidents Yeltsin and Clinton agreed for the first time at Helsinki to move beyond dismantlement, into actual demilitarization of materials removed from nuclear weapons. The P-8 Specialists meeting in Paris last October, endorsed the Spent Fuel Standard as meeting international non-proliferation criteria, and called for MOX fuel demonstration projects, such as those proceeding in Russia, the US and Canada. In January, the Clinton Administration selected a Dual Track Option involving both immobilization and MOX fuel. DOE has initiated efforts to acquire commercial firms to design, install and operate MOX fabrication equipment in US Government facilities, and to license and operate North American nuclear plants on MOX fuel derived from weapons plutonium. In Russia, engineering studies of a demonstration project, sponsored by Germany, France, Russia and Canada, are continuing. Initially, this small scale MOX plant will convert up to 2.5 tonnes per year of excess plutonium to MOX fuel, for consumption in the four Balakovo VVER's, the BN-600 fast reactor, and in CANDU reactors in Ontario, Canada. Financing for construction and operation is under study.