Vietnam and Russia signed an agreement on transporting enriched uranium fuel rods used by the Da Lat Nuclear Reactor to Russia at a meeting held at the Science and Technology Ministry on March 16.
The signing of the agreement will create a legal basis for co-operation between Vietnam and Russia's nuclear administrations.
Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Quan said that this is an important event reflecting Vietnam's commitment in implementing the joint statement of the first Nuclear Security Summit in Washington in 2010 and the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit this year.
Together with these agreements on building the Ninh Thuan 1 Nuclear Power Plant and the Nuclear Science and Technology Center, this agreement has reaffirmed the strategic cooperation between Vietnam and Russia in using atomic energy for peaceful purposes and ensuring security, safety and the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. "These agreements will facilitate Russia's assistance and cooperation with Vietnam in building and developing its atomic energy sector," he stressed.
Since 2007, Vietnam has been involved in the program to change fuel used by the Da Lat Nuclear Reactor from high enriched uranium (HEU) to low enriched uranium (LEU). This International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) initiative allows US and Russia to manage HEU nuclear fuel used in research reactors manufactured by the US and Russia and prevent the use of its for non-peaceful purposes. In September 2007, Vietnam completed the first phase of this program by transported 35 used HEU fuel rods to Russia, receiving 36 new LEU fuel rods in return.
In December 2010, Vietnam continued to implement the second phase by receiving and transported 66 LEU fuel rods to the Da Lat Nuclear Reactor to replace all HEU fuel rods being used. In 2011, the reactor successfully started its operation with LEU fuel.
"Under the plan agreed with the US and Russia, the transportation of used high enriched uranium fuel rods to Russia will be completed by May 2013," the minister said.
The uranium fuel used by the Da Lat Nuclear Reactor from 1983 to recent years and many reactors worldwide is HEU that contains content of U235 (one in two isotope components of uranium) to 36 percent. In theory, HEU may be exploited for processing nuclear weapons. The US and many countries have worried about nuclear weapons and have called for countries with nuclear power plant using LEU that contains content of U235 nearly 20 percent./.
