URENCO: 40 Years’ Experience of Operating a Multinational Uranium Enrichment Company

There has been much debate internationally over the last three or four years on concepts for multinational nuclear fuel assurance. The aim of such concepts is to give security of supply of fuel for nuclear power stations and thereby to limit the spread of sensitive technology and the potential proliferation of nuclear weapons. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Treaty of Almelo, a treaty signed between the governments of the UK. Germany and the Netherlands, which founded URENCO as a multinational enrichment company. This paper explains how the multinational nature of the company has developed over the last 40 years – in terms of its ownership, the nationality of its employees, and the nature of supervision by the three governments (together called the Troika), in areas of export controls, nuclear security and international safeguards. The practical application of the “black-box supply concept” is also explained. The significance of such a multinational approach for security of supply and for non- proliferation is explained.