International Safeguards Experience at Savannah River Site

A portion of the K-Area Materials Storage Facility (KAMS), located on the Savannah River Site (SRS) reservation, is dedicated to storing the US-IAEA Pu Material where, to date, ~2.8 MT of Pu has been placed under IAEA Safeguards since November of 2002. From the time of the original safeguards agreement with the IAEA; DOE-HQ, DOE-SR and SRS Program Management has established oversight and resources to ensure proactive and effective facility operations within KAMS infrastructure to support IAEA related activities. The SRS IAEA safeguards technical approach with radio-frequency tamper-indicating devices is original in scope and process, setting precedent for other ongoing efforts in the implementation IAEA Nuclear Safeguards at similar facilities. The long-term program benefits and objectives include unattended and remote IAEA monitoring and less invasive periodic IAEA inspections, while maintaining an established high level of confidence. This paper details the development, implementation and ongoing performance of the US/IAEA Voluntary Agreement. Additionally, it explores future mission challenges presented by aging safeguard equipment and proposed DOE material consolidation plans and what these challenges mean to the continued mission success of the program.