Government of Norway pledged to support the idea of IAEA administered fuel bank and to contribute $5 million to it. This particular fuel bank project was initiated by the Nuclear Threat Initiative, which in 2006 secured a contribution of $100 million from Warren Buffet. This contribution, however, is contingent on others providing additional $50 million.
February 2008 Archives
NNSA announced that it completed the first stage of its special nuclear material consolidation program. The Sandia National Laboratory removed all materials that require protection under Category I or II. According to NNSA, "This move completes the first phase in NNSA's efforts to consolidate special nuclear material at five sites by 2012."
Earlier plans call for removal of all Category I and II amounts of nuclear material from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory by 2014 and from the Los Alamos National Laboratory - by 2022.
Russia and India signed an agreement that commits Russia to build four additional power reactors at Kudankulam. It appears that one of the conditions of the contract is that Russia will supply the reactors with fuel and then will take spent fuel back. It is expected that the reactors will be placed under IAEA safeguards under the India-IAEA agreement that is being negotiated right now.
Prime ministers of Russia and Armenia signed an intergovernmental agreement that will make Armenia a partner in the International Enrichment Center in Angarsk.
According to Sergei Kislyak, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Russia will offer the enrichment plant in Angarsk for IAEA safeguards. Kislyak was quoted as saying that "The center [...] will be under the constant surveillance of the IAEA."
On February 1st, 2008 Director of Rosatom Sergey Kiriyenko and U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez signed an agreement that would allow Russia to sell more uranium enrichment services to U.S. utilities.
