January 30, 2002

Thank you Vic and thank you all for coming. I want to welcome our special guests to the Department of Energy this afternoon and I want to particularly welcome Ambassador Saudabeyev of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Mr. Ambassador, it's a privilege to have you join us and it's indeed an honor to have all of you with us today.

We are here this afternoon to observe the beginning of a truly historic nonproliferation initiative between the United States and Kazakhstan. This project, which involves critical private sector support, will create a center at the Ulba facility in Kazakhstan for recovery of low-enriched uranium, which can then be used by civilian power reactors throughout the world. When completed, the project is expected to create hundreds of jobs in Kazakhstan for those with critical skills in handling nuclear materials, become a reliable source for U.S. fuel production, and will play an important new part in our global nonproliferation efforts.

The Department of Energy, through its National Nuclear Security Administration has committed $1.2 million over three years for joint work on this project. I am pleased that our Brookhaven National Laboratory will play a major role and will work with Ulba to design and install enhanced capability to recover uranium.

Mr. Ambassador, let me say how much I appreciate your strong support of this project … your nation … and mine … owes you a special thank you.

And this innovative approach to furthering nonproliferation and building cooperative relations between the United States and Kazakhstan would not have been possible without the backing of private industry.

I want to especially recognize our two U.S. industry partners - Global Nuclear Fuels and Nukem - for their part in this global venture, a venture that will enhance security at the same time boosts economic development.