Making the world more secure, one research reactor at a time

During the night of 29 September 2014, a heavy transport plane took off from an air base in Kazakhstan after an operation to remove fuel and increase the security of a research reactor. In its cargo bay sat four massive containers, provided by the IAEA, that had been filled with a total of 10.2 kilograms of highly enriched uranium (HEU), on its way to be diluted to a safe substance or securely stored at the flight's destination in Russia. The operation represented the latest achievement in a global programme involving the IAEA, the Russian Federation and the United States to assist several countries, including Kazakhstan, in eliminating the risks associated with HEU, while still maintaining the important scientific research conducted at the reactor. HEU is a security risk, as it is an ingredient that can be used to create a nuclear device intended for malicious use. It is not encouraged to use HEU in a research reactor as safer low enriched uranium (LEU) can be used instead (see box). In the 1960s and 1970s, when many of the world's research reactors were built, technology using LEU was not yet available, so in order to perform experiments HEU fuel was required. As of next year, less proliferation sensitive LEU will be used to fuel the light water research reactor in Alatau near Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan.