Nuclear power growth and safeguards 1975-1985. Nuclear material - The connecting parameter

In all safeguards agreements procedures are set forth to provide continuity of knowledge of the flow and inventory of nuclear material. Those agreements in connection with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons define explicitly the objective of safeguards to be the timely detection of the diversion of nuclear material from peaceful nuclear activities. his suggests that the magnitude of the safeguards work would seem to depend primarily on the inventory of nuclear material in the fuel cycle required to produce the nuclear electrical power. Evidently, the distribution of the nuclear material over the different facilities of the cycle, such as enrichment facilities, fuel fabrication and reprocessing plants, and the flow rate through or the hold-up in all these facilities have also a great influence on the safeguards work! he long-term planning of the IAEA regarding safeguards is therefore based on forecasts of nuclear power production as well as on an evaluation of the future development of the entire fuel cycle with its nuclear material inventory and flow. (author)