Vietnam on July 3 returned the last remaining 11 kilogrammes of highly
enriched uranium (HEU) from the Dalat Nuclear Research Institute to
Russia, the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) announced in
Hanoi the same day.
This complex operation
was the culmination of a multi-year effort by the MoST, in cooperation
with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the US’ National
Nuclear Security Administration ( NNS A), and Russia ’s State Atomic
Energy Corporation (ROSATOM).
According to the
ministry, Dalat Research Reactor was upgraded from TRIGA Reactor with a
capacity of 250kW (constructed in the early 1960’) and was restarted on
March 20, 1984 with the nominal capacity of 500 kW. Regarding the
fuels, in 1983 the IAEA provided Vietnam with the budget to buy 140
HEU fuel assemblies (36 percent of U-235) of standard WWR-M2 type,
manufactured and supplied by the former Soviet Union .
Following the IAEA’s recommendation, and based on the agreement between
the US and Russia, all Research Reactors (RRs) using nuclear fuel of
uranium enriched to 20 percent of U-235 or higher have to be converted
to use low enriched uranium (LEU) (below 20 percent of U-235), because
unlike HEU, LEU cannot be used to make a nuclear weapon. The Dalat
Research Reactor is among more than 20 RRs in 17 countries using HEU
fuel supplied by the former Soviet Union, and thus was also required
to convert to LEU.
From 2007 to date, the MoST has cooperated closely with the IAEA, NNSA, and ROSATOM to implement the programme.
In November 2011, the Dalat Nuclear Research Institute (DNRI)
successfully completed replacing all remaining HEU fuel, therefore the
DRR was converted to operate on LEU fuel. This is one of the 2011 Top
Ten Science and Technology Events in Vietnam .
The last
remaining HEU fuel in Vietnam – 106 spent HEU FAs (containing almost 11
kilograms HEU) in Dalat Research Reactor has been transported to Russia
on a Russian AN-124-100 cargo plane which left Vietnam on July 3, 2013.
By this shipment, Vietnam has completed its
commitment in the Joint Statement signed in November 2006, in Hanoi,
by President Nguyen Minh Triet and US President George W. Bush, which
stated Vietnam ’s participation in the Programme on Fuel Conversion
for Dalat Research Reactor (DRR) from Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) to
Low Enriched Uranium (LEU).
The MoST stresses that the
July 3 event, once again, demonstrates Vietnam’s consistent policy
of safe, secured, and peaceful use of nuclear energy. At the same time,
it marks a significant milestone in Vietnam’s commitment to
implementing the Joint Statement of the Second Nuclear Security Summit,
which took place in March 2012 in Seoul, the Republic of Korea .
The ministry affirms that Vietnam will continue to cooperate with the
IAEA and the international community in undertaking necessary measures
to ensure nuclear safety and security, while implementing the policy of
development and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and of
non-proliferation.-VNA