Ukraine readies for International Enrichment Centre

02 December 2008

[RIA Novosti, 1 December] The Ukrainian government has approved a draft agreement covering its planned participation in the international uranium enrichment facility at Angarsk in Eastern Siberia. Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ohryzko has been authorized to sign the agreement, which would see Ukraine acquiring 10% of the enterprise. The International Enrichment Centre is an initiative led by Russia in collaboration with Kazakhstan to provide assured supplies of low-enriched uranium to countries wishing to use nuclear power, in which they would have equity in the project but without access to the proliferation-sensitive enrichment technology. Russian state nuclear power corporation Rosenergoatom would ultimately hold a 51% controlling stake in the enterprise, which would be supervised by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Armenia joined the programme in February 2008, and Slovakia has also been reported as a potential partner.