IAEA Perspective and Lessons Learned in Shipping HEU Spent Fuel to Russia

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) seeks to facilitate progress in the Russian Research Reactor Fuel Return (RRRFR) program (U.S. - Russian Federation, and IAEA) by supporting candidate research reactor sites from among 17 reactors in 15 countries in shipping their inventory of irradiated Russian-origin research reactor fuel back to the Russian Federation (RF). IAEA assistance to this effort takes place under Technical Cooperation (TC) Regional project RER4028, “Repatriation, Management and Disposition of Fresh and/or Spent Nuclear Fuel from Research Reactors,” (as well as under other TC projects, most significantly SCG/4/003) which aims to assist Member States with research reactors to repatriate, manage or dispose of their fresh or irradiated fuel, under the Russian Research Reactor Fuel Return program. In October 2006 a workshop was held to provide information to Member States in order to assist in their preparations for shipping irradiated Russian-origin research reactor fuel to the Russian Federation, including the sharing of lessons learned from the planning, preparation, and conduct of shipments in early 2006 of irradiated research reactor fuel from the Institute of Nuclear Physics in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Since this initiative was launched in 1999, this workshop was the first occasion on which representatives of all countries shipping Russianorigin spent nuclear fuel to the Russian Federation had an opportunity to meet to share experience and review preparations.