Working Group Meeting on Highly Enriched Uranium Uses Reduction

Within the period from February 20 to 22, 2018 joint meeting of Working Groups on reducing the uses of highly enriched uranium (HEU) in civilian sector was held in the IAEA headquarter, Vienna. This meeting became an important stage on preparing for the large international symposium on minimization of HEU uses that is planned to be held on June 5-7, 2018 in Oslo (Norway). Erlan Gadletovich Batyrbekov, Director General of NNC RK, participated in the meeting on behalf of Kazakhstan’s side.

Working Groups were established upon the following directions:

1. Conversion of nuclear research reactors with HEU fuel and engineering developments;
2. HEU fuel handling and transportation;
3. Radioisotopes production.

Issues on the current state and progress of activities on HEU uses minimization were discussed during the meeting as well as the main technical, legal, political and financial issues on reducing the uses of HEU were posed.

Considering the actuality of the issues discussed for the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan’s side introduced a number of proposals, that were accepted and reflected in the final document. This very document will be on the table of international experts within the framework of panel discussions at Symposium in Oslo, during which the main attention will be given to issues on HEU use minimization in civil nuclear sector, getting a view on measures taken on national and international levels, as well as initiating extra efforts towards this direction.