IAEA activities in support of the international programmes to return fresh and spent research reactor nuclear fuel to the conuntry of origin

The IAEA has been involved for more than thirty years in supporting international nuclear non-proliferation efforts associated with reducing the amount of Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU), whose enrichment is ≥ 20% in 235U, in international commerce. In particular, IAEA projects and activities have directly supported the two main international efforts to return fresh and spent HEU research reactor fuel to the country where it was originally enriched: the United States Foreign Research Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel (FRRSNF) Acceptance Programme and the United States-IAEA-Russian Federation tripartite initiative known as the Russian Research Reactor Fuel Return (RRRFR) Programme. This report gives an account of IAEA efforts in support of both programmes including a historical overview of fuel return shipments and a brief description of associated cooperation activities carried out by the IAEA.