[cdn-nucl-l] Russia receives highly enriched uranium fuel from Romania

["Radik Ixanov" <ixanov@sympatico.ca>]

Nuclear.Ru (http://www.nuclear.ru/eng/news) informed on Sept. 22, 2003.


September 21 JSC Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrate Plant (NCCP) received
fresh highly enriched nuclear fuel from the Institute for Nuclear Research
in Pitesti, Romania, as Nuclear.Ru was informed by Minatom’s of Russia
press-service. In total, 50 fuel assemblies of shutdown research reactor
IRT-2M (80% enriched with regard to uranium-235) and 150 separate fuel rods
S-36 (36% enriched) were brought from Romania to Russia. Total amount of
uranium-235 in the products is 9,703.04 grams with total uranium isotopes is
14,166.58 grams.

The transfer of nuclear fuel from Romania to Russia was done at the IAEA
request and was funded by the US Department of Energy. The consignor is the
Romanian Authority for Nuclear Activities. Minatom of Russia was the chief
coordinator of the operation. By present the nuclear fuel has been delivered
to NCCP where it will be re-fabricated into reactor fuel. This operation is
the second of the kind where Minatom’s enterprises participate. The
development follows the delivery to the NIIAR Institute of Dimitrovgrad, on
August 22, 2002, of TVR-S fresh high enriched nuclear fuel from the Nuclear
Science Institute Vinca (Belgrade, Yugoslavia).