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North American Member News March 2022

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Member News

Posted:

13 April 2022

Author:

Eileen Supko

Plutonium Transported to U.S. Laboratory

In late March, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announced that plutonium from an International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Nuclear Material Laboratory in Austria was transported to Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee. The plutonium will be used in sealed sources for non-proliferation research and development.

The plutonium included in the shipment represents approximately 15 years of accumulated residue from inspection samples collected in support of the IAEA’s safeguards mission, according to the NNSA. Technical experts from ORNL and Savannah River National Laboratory worked with a team from the IAEA for several years to complete all activities required for the safe and secure transportation of the material to ORNL.

The NNSA’s Office of Nuclear Material Removal works with partner nations and international institutions around the world to identify excess nuclear material and find permanent solutions to consolidate, remove, or dispose of these inventories. NNSA has assisted in removing or disposing of approximately 7,270 kilograms of weapons-usable nuclear material in support of nuclear non-proliferation efforts.

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