WASHINGTON, D.C. - Nearly 30 pounds of Soviet-origin highly enriched uranium (HEU) in “spent” nuclear fuel was successfully removed from Latvia and today secured at a Russian nuclear facility.  The spent HEU was transported by rail, in secret and under secure conditions with the cooperation of several international organizations. 

The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) oversaw the removal of the 14.4 kilograms of HEU.  This is the second shipment of HEU to be safely and securely returned to Russia from Latvia.  The first shipment of three kilograms of Soviet-origin HEU “fresh” fuel occurred in May 2005. 

“With this shipment of highly enriched uranium spent nuclear fuel, NNSA has completed the removal of all HEU from Latvia,” said NNSA Administrator Thomas D’Agostino.  “This cooperative effort to secure dangerous nuclear material will help reduce the threat of nuclear proliferation and prevent nuclear terrorism.”

Through NNSA’s Global Threat Reduction Initiative (GTRI), the United States worked in close cooperation with the Russian Federation, Latvia and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to return this material.  It was packaged into twenty TUK-19 specialized transportation casks and then transported under guard from the Salaspils Research Reactor to a railroad station near Riga, the capital of Latvia.  At the railroad station, the casks were loaded onto special TUK-5 railroad cars and shipped to a secure Russian facility near Chelyabinsk. 

Latvia is a key partner in the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism launched by Presidents Bush and Putin in 2006 to expand international partnerships addressing the global threat of nuclear terrorism.  The shipment from Latvia is also in accordance with a prioritized, accelerated schedule developed in fulfillment of the February 2005 Bush-Putin Bratislava Joint Statement on Nuclear Security Cooperation, which specifically called for the United States and Russia to work jointly to return HEU fuel from U.S. and Russian-designed research reactors in other countries. 

In support of this accelerated schedule, GTRI removed more than 280 kilograms of Soviet-origin HEU fuel in fiscal year 2007 alone.  This is more material than the combined total quantity of Soviet-origin HEU that had been removed under the previous five years of the program.

NNSA has also successfully worked with Latvia in other areas to detect, secure, and dispose of dangerous nuclear and radiological material.  GTRI has improved physical security at civilian sites that utilize high activity radiological sources, securing over 6,100 curies of this material that if stolen, could be used for numerous radiological dispersion devices (RDDs) or “dirty bombs.”  NNSA continues to provide radiological assistance to Latvia through security technology enhancements, regulatory advice and the establishment of long term sustainability programs. 

NNSA's is also working to enhance Latvia’s ability to detect illicit shipments of nuclear and other radioactive material by training border officials while installing radiation detection and integrated communications equipment at border crossings, airports and seaports.  Additionally, NNSA partners with Latvia to support government outreach efforts to promote awareness of national export control requirements and to enhance the ability of enforcement personnel to recognize and interdict strategic commodities.  This partnership has established regular training for customs agents to identify WMD-related, dual-use goods. 

Latvia is the third country to return Soviet-origin HEU spent fuel to Russia.  Four shipments of spent fuel from Uzbekistan totaling 63 kilograms were shipped to Russia in 2006 and 80 kilograms of HEU spent fuel were shipped from the Czech Republic to Russia in December 2007. 

While Latvia is the first country under which GTRI removed all its Soviet-origin HEU, the program has removed all U.S.-origin HEU fuel from the following 13 countries – Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Philippines, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and Thailand. 

GTRI’s mission is to reduce and protect vulnerable nuclear and radiological materials located at civilian sites worldwide.  With the successful completion of this shipment, a total of approximately 604 kilograms of HEU fresh and spent fuel has been returned to Russia from Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Libya, Uzbekistan, Poland, Germany, Latvia, the Czech Republic, and Vietnam. 

Established by Congress in 2000, NNSA is a separately organized agency within the U.S. Department of Energy responsible for enhancing national security through the military application of nuclear science. NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, reliability and performance of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile without nuclear testing; works to reduce global danger from weapons of mass destruction; provides the U.S. Navy with safe and effective nuclear propulsion; and responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the United States and abroad.

Media contact(s):
NNSA Public Affairs (202) 586-7371