URENCO's Experiences in Safeguards Reporting and in Developing a Nuclear Material Accountancy System

The URENCO Group has operated uranium enrichment plants, using the gas centrifuge technology, for over forty years in Europe. Throughout this period, the plants have been subjected to the Euratom safeguards regime and during the late 1970's the IAEA safeguards regime has been introduced as well. From thereon, the safeguards regimes of Euratom and IAEA have been brought more in line and safeguards inspections were carried out as a so-called Joint Team. IAEA safeguards for centrifuge enrichment plants developed following the Hexapartite Safeguards Project (HSP) and the introduction of the Additional Protocol (AP) resulted in further refinement of IAEA safeguards for all nuclear facilities. The current IAEA safeguards reporting regime is also applied to the new URENCO facility in the USA. URENCO has been submitting declarations and reports in compliance with the relevant safeguards regulations and agreements and has been adapting that practice to stay tuned with the changes and modifications in IAEA safeguards. As a result of the changing demand, developments in office software and the establishment of the URENCO Group, an aligned Nuclear Material Accountancy System (NMAS) has been set up, allowing for the preparation of safeguards reports and declarations with direct use of data collected during plant operations. The aim of the presentation is to provide the audience insight into the experience gained by URENCO in safeguards reporting and optimization of the NMAS as basis for these reports and declarations. (author)