South Korea free of US HEU

21 September 2007

[NNSA, 19 September] South Korea has become the 12th country to completely remove all US-origin high-enriched uranium (HEU) research reactor fuel, the US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has announced. The task was completed with the return of 11 unused fuel assemblies, containing about 4 pounds of HEU, from two research reactors at the Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) in Daejon. It was packaged in South Korea and transported to NNSA's Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee, where it will be stored. NNSA has to date completed 40 shipments from 27 countries, repatriating 1139 kg HEU and 2439 kg of low-enriched uranium (LEU) spent fuel. The NNSA is working through the Global Threat Reduction Initiative to reduce and eventually eliminate the use of HEU in civilian nuclear applications world wide.

Further information

National Nuclear Security Administration

WNA's Nuclear Power in Korea information paper
WNA's Research Reactors information paper

WNN: Vietnam returns HEU fuel, Czech Republic to follow suit

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