GLOBAL THREAT REDUCTION INITIATIVE AND THE EGYPTIAN ATOMIC ENERGY AUTHORITY AMNESTY RECOVERY PROGRAM

Today, there are approximately 2,000 registered radioactive sealed sources (RSS) in Egypt’s public sector, and another 1,000 disused RSS in government storage facilities. Because RSS have been imported for more than 50 years and because of weak controls in the past, there might be significant numbers of unregistered and/or unwanted RSS in Egypt. The primary goal of the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration’s Global Threat Reduction Initiative’s (GTRI) “Amnesty Recovery” program, implemented in cooperation with the Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority (EAEA), is to identify, collect, bring under government control, and securely store unwanted and/or unregistered RSS. This program will bring these RSS into government control without cost and without consequences or punishment to the owners. The unregistered or unwanted RSS are being collected by trained EAEA personnel using GTRI-furnished equipment and are being brought into well-secured storage. High- activity sources will be conditioned prior to placement in a safe and secure storage facility. The overarching objectives of this program are to help the Egyptians manage their significant inventory of RSS and leave behind a qualified staff that will ensure the sustainability of the program. This paper will discuss the phased approach that was implemented, objectives, accomplishments to date, (including the combination of classroom and hands-on training that was provided), and future planned activities associated with this program. The final phase of the program is to assist the EAEA in upgrading their existing storage facilities to GTRI-recommended physical protection levels.