National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) technical experts overseeing the loading of nuclear fuel into the specialized spent nuclear fuel cask | Photo: U.S. Department of Energy
The United States has completed the removal of highly enriched uranium (HEU) from Venezuela’s RV-1 research reactor, according to statements released by the U.S. Department of State and the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The operation was carried out in cooperation with Venezuela, the United Kingdom, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The RV-1 reactor, located in Venezuela, was the country’s first and only nuclear reactor. It was originally built for scientific research under the United States’ Atoms for Peace program and was later used for gamma-ray sterilization of medical supplies, food, and other materials. The reactor had been shut down, but uranium enriched above 20 percent remained stored at the site.
According to the U.S. Department of State, the uranium was packaged and prepared for transport in late April before being moved out of Venezuela. The material was then transported by a vessel supplied by the United Kingdom’s Nuclear Transport Solutions and arrived at the Savannah River Site in Aiken, South Carolina, in early May.
The NNSA said the operation removed 13.5 kilograms, or about 30 pounds, of highly enriched uranium from the reactor. Technical experts from the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research worked alongside U.S. personnel during the operation. Teams reportedly transported the material approximately 100 miles overland to a Venezuelan port before shipment to the United States.
Brandon Williams, Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, said: “The safe removal of all enriched uranium from Venezuela sends another signal to the world of a restored and renewed Venezuela.”
The Department of State said the mission was completed more than two years earlier than originally planned. It added that the operation was led by the State Department’s Bureau of Arms Control and Nonproliferation and the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration.
The International Atomic Energy Agency provided technical support and monitored the process as observers throughout the mission, according to both agencies.
Dr. Matt Napoli, Deputy Administrator of the Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation, traveled to Venezuela to oversee the operation.
“NNSA’s long history in removing nuclear material and the team’s extensive know-how were key to this success. I would also like to extend my appreciation to our Venezuelan partners for finalizing this material removal and establishing the foundation for future cooperation,” Dr. Matt Napoli, Deputy Administrator of the Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation, said.
The uranium is now under the custody of the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management at the Savannah River Site. According to the NNSA, the material will be processed at the H-Canyon chemical separations facility for conversion into high-assay low-enriched uranium.
The NNSA stated that since 1996 it has removed or confirmed the disposition of more than 7,350 kilograms of highly enriched uranium and plutonium from countries around the world.
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