Status of the RERTR Program

The progress of the Reduced Enrichment Research and Test Reactor (RERTR) Program is described. After a brief summary of the results which the RERTR Program, in collaboration with its many international partners, had achieved by the end of 1989, the major events, findings, and activities of 1990 are reviewed. The past year has seen an intense debate within DOE and Congress about the goals, achievements, and future funding needs of RERTR Program. The debate persists, but consensus has been reached that the program should be extended for four more years, and that transfer of already undergoing conversions should continue. The funding provided for FY 1990 and 1991 is adequate for these tasks. Consistent with this guidance, the RERTR Program has placed on hold any further fuel development efforts aimed at fuels with uranium densities in excess of 4.8 g/cm3, and has concentrated its efforts on technology transfer and implementation activities