INTEGRATED DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MPC&A COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK AT THE MINING AND CHEMICAL COMBINE

A wide array of physical protection and material control and accounting (MC&A) upgrades at the Mining and Chemical Combine (MCC) are currently being supported by the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) Material Protection Control and Accounting (MPC&A) program. Many of these upgrades require the timely and secure communication of data to and from multiple server locations, including the site’s central alarm station, the MC&A administrative offices, nuclear material use and storage areas, and the various support organizations that ensure the continued operation and maintenance of the site’s MPC&A systems and equipment. To support the effective and secure communication of required data and signals, the joint U.S./MCC project team has pursued the integrated design of a communications network that supports the secure electronic transmission of physical protection and material control and accounting (MC&A) data, and other essential internal data and voice communications consistent with site demands and Russian regulatory requirements. This paper (1) details the design complications, considerations, and planning activities leading to the installation phase and (2) discusses the physical security and MC&A needs that are being addressed through the installation of the network at the MCC site.