Successful Completion of the Largest Shipment of Russian Research Reactor High-Enriched Uranium Spent Nuclear Fuel from Czech Republic to Russian Federation

On December 8, 2007, the Global Threat Reduction Initiative’s Russian Research Reactor Fuel Return Program executed its largest shipment to date of highly enriched uranium spent nuclear fuel, from a Russian-designed nuclear research reactor in the Czech Republic to the Russian Federation, culminating nearly five years of effective cooperation between the United States, Russia, the Czech Republic, and the International Atomic Energy Agency. This paper discusses the planning, preparations, and coordination required to complete this important international shipment successfully.