FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 23, 1998

NEWS MEDIA CONTACTS:
Anne Elliott (HQ), 202/586-5806
Brad Bugger (Idaho), 208/526-0833
John Belluardo (Oakland), 510/637-1811
Darwin Morgan (Nevada), 702/295-3996

SPENT FUEL SHIPMENT SAFELY ARRIVES IN IDAHO

Advances U.S. Nonproliferation Objective

The Department of Energy announced today that a shipment of spent nuclear fuel from research reactors in the Republic of Korea (South Korea) has safely arrived at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). To reduce the threat of nuclear terrorism, the United States is accepting spent nuclear fuel rods from foreign research reactors to ensure that the highly enriched uranium they contain will not be used to make nuclear weapons.

"I thank everyone who contributed to this important effort to reduce the risk of nuclear terrorism by helping to secure weapon-usable material in the United States," said Acting Secretary of Energy Elizabeth Moler. "I especially want to express my thanks to the many, many officials at both the state and community levels along the route, as well as Tribal government officials, for their help. We had excellent cooperation and coordination in preparing and training for this shipment. The successful, safe outcome is a credit to all who helped."

This shipment arrived in the United States by ship at the Concord Naval Weapons Station in California. Tribal, state and local personnel teamed with the Department of Energy and other federal agencies to ensure smooth and safe transport of the spent fuel from Concord to southeastern Idaho by train. It arrived at the INEEL this morning, July 23, 1998. Preparations included training over 3,000 emergency personnel along the route and thorough inspections of the track, locomotives, railcars and shipping containers.

The spent fuel being accepted from foreign research reactors contains uranium that was enriched in the United States and initially exported under President Eisenhower's Atoms for Peace program. Those countries agreed to forego development of nuclear weapons in return for U.S. assistance with peaceful applications of nuclear energy.

Under the current program, the United States will accept up to 20 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel from research reactors in 41 countries through the year 2009. The fuel will be shipped to the United States through Concord in California and the Charleston Naval Weapons Station in South Carolina, with no more than five shipments arriving through Concord. The spent fuel will be temporarily stored at the Department of Energy's Idaho site and Savannah River Site in South Carolina to await final disposition.

This shipment to Idaho consisted of three shipping casks certified by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission containing 299 spent fuel elements.