International fuel cycle: accountancy for safeguards

After the spread of nuclear power in the 1960s, the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was developed in 1970 to limit the spread of nuclear weapons. The safeguards agreements inside and outside the NPT framework are compared. The backbone of NPT safeguards is nuclear material accountancy. Although good progress has been made in putting the NPT into effect, only 20% of the nuclear material connected with the 94,000 MW(e) power capacity is today subject to IAEA safeguards, with about half being outside NPT, but the non-NPT agreements are becoming more and more rigid. Sanctions which can be applied in case of noncompliance are described. The importance of Article VI of NPT (nuclear disarmament) is emphasized