TODAY.AZ / World news

Kazakhstan gets IAEA approval for Low Enriched Uranium Bank

17 June 2015 [10:12] - TODAY.AZ

/By AzerNews/

By Vusala Abbasova

The International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors approved an agreement with Kazakhstan on establishing the IAEA Low Enriched Uranium Bank in Kazakhstan.

The establishing and operating IAEA LEU Bank in Kazakhstan will open great capabilities for IAEA Member States ensuring the supply mechanism in case they cannot obtain LEU on the global commercial market. The necessary LEU can be provide through State-to-State arrangements, or through any other means according to the IAEA official site.

Yukiya Amano, IAEA Director General stressed the importance of the signed agreement which represents "a significant milestone" for this important project.

Further activity of the project enabling it to proceed to full-scale implementation.

The placement of a nuclear fuel bank on the territory of Kazakhstan under the auspices of the IAEA was initiated in 2009.

The bank envisaged the storage of low enriched uranium for the production of fuel elements for nuclear power plant in a gaseous form that does not pose any radiation threat.

As the low enriched uranium is not a radioactive waste.

Kazakhstan offered to host the IAEA LEU Bank in response to the Agency’s request for Expressions of Interest on 29 July 2011.

Owned and controlled by the IAEA but operated by Kazakhstan, the bank's safety and security will be governed by Kazakhstan's legal and regulatory requirements, and will meet the applicable provisions of the IAEA’s safety standards and security guidance documents and will also be subject to IAEA safeguards.

The IAEA LEU Bank will be a physical reserve of up to 90 metric tons of LEU, sufficient to run a 1,000 MWe light-water reactor.

The IAEA LEU Bank, which is fully funded by voluntary contributions, will be located at the Ulba Metallurgical Plant in Oskemen in northeastern Kazakhstan. The Ulba plant has been handling and storing nuclear material, including LEU, safely and securely for more than 60 years.

The transit agreement was also approved with the Russian Federation. In accordance with this agreement IAEA LEU would be transit through its territory to and from the IAEA LEU Bank.

Timur Zhantikin, the deputy chairman of the Atomic Control Committee at Kazakhstan’s Energy Ministry said that the establishment of IAEA LEU Bank will provide for absolute safety for the environment and population of Kazakhstan, the Central Asia Agency reported.

"Placing this repository is not a threat to the environment and population. Besides, total 60 cylinders (60-80 tons) will be placed at the UMP, while the storage of the plant designed for much larger amounts of storage. By the IAEA experts estimate, the security system of the enterprise meet international standards," Zhantikin added.

Zhantikin explained that the actual arrival of nuclear material in Kazakhstan is expected in 2017 because the project will still need to go to parliament for ratification.

The IAEA is widely known as the world's "Atoms for Peace" organization within the United Nations family, which was set up in 1957. The organization was established as the world's centre for cooperation in the nuclear field.

Kazakhstan holds the second largest uranium reserves in the world.

URL: http://www.today.az/news/regions/141484.html

Print version

Views: 1076

Connect with us. Get latest news and updates.

Recommend news to friend

  • Your name:
  • Your e-mail:
  • Friend's name:
  • Friend's e-mail: