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Disarmament DocumentationBack to Disarmament Documentation US-Russia Agreement on Russian Plutonium Reactor Shutdowns, March 12Note: the agreement was announced in Vienna, during the March 10-13 International Conference on Security of Radioactive Sources. US Energy Department Press Release'US and Russia Agree to Plan to Shutdown Three Remaining Russian Plutonium Production Reactors', US Department of Energy Press Release, PR-03-055, March 12. US Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham and Russian Minister of Atomic Energy Aleksandr Rumyantsev signed agreements today that will facilitate the shutdown of three Russian nuclear reactors, that currently produce weapons-grade plutonium. These reactors, which are the last three reactors in Russia that produce plutonium for military purposes, also provide necessary heat and electricity to two Russian "closed cities" in the Russian nuclear weapons complex. Under the agreements, the United States will provide support to the Russian Federation for provision of replacement fossil energy plants. "This is an important step in advancing our nonproliferation programs between the United States and Russia," Abraham said. "Replacing these reactors with fossil fuel energy is critical in eliminating the production of weapons-grade plutonium in Russia and closing these facilities. Russia and the United States have enjoyed a good relationship. Minister Rumyantsev is an able partner and I appreciate his effective leadership." The Implementing Agreement details the rights and responsibilities of each country regarding US assistance for the construction and refurbishment of the fossil fuel plants. In Seversk, an existing fossil fuel plant will be modernized. In Zheleznogorsk, the construction of a new facility will be required. The Russian Federation will be responsible for the shutdown and decommissioning of the three existing nuclear reactors. The new agreement will allow for the implementation of the Elimination of Weapons-Grade Plutonium Production Program, which is a cooperative effort between the US Department of Energy and the Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy. The three reactors are located in the cities of Seversk and Zheleznogorsk in Siberia. The reactors have approximately 15 years of remaining life and, as a group, could generate an additional 25 metric tons of plutonium, the equivalent of approximately one additional nuclear weapon per day. The three reactors will continue to operate until the fossil-replacement plants are completed and begin operations. Recently, Abraham announced that the Bush Administration has requested $1.3 billion for nuclear nonproliferation program spending in its fiscal year 2004 budget submission to Congress. This is a 30 percent increase over the 2003 budget request. "During the last two years, this Administration has been aggressive on many fronts in its pursuit of effective nonproliferation - unilaterally, bilaterally with Russia, multilaterally with the G-8 and internationally with the International Atomic Energy Agency," Abraham said. © 2003 The Acronym Institute. |