Iraq nuclear facility dismantlement and disposal project

Conference · Sun Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 2007

OSTI ID:21305404

Cochran, J R; Danneels, J ^[1]; Kenagy, W D ^[2]; Phillips, C J; Chesser, R K ^[3]

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1. Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM (United States)
2. U.S. Department of State, Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, Office of Nuclear Energy, Safety and Security, Washington, DC (United States)
3. Center for Environmental Radiation Studies, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX (United States)

The Al Tuwaitha nuclear complex near Baghdad contains a significant number of nuclear facilities from Saddam Hussein's dictatorship. Because of past military operations, lack of upkeep and looting there is now an enormous radioactive waste problem at Al Tuwaitha. Al Tuwaitha contains uncharacterised radioactive wastes, yellow cake, sealed radioactive sources, and contaminated metals. The current security situation in Iraq hampers all aspects of radioactive waste management. Further, Iraq has never had a radioactive waste disposal facility, which means that ever increasing quantities of radioactive waste and material must be held in guarded storage. The Iraq Nuclear Facility Dismantlement and Disposal Program (the NDs Program) has been initiated by the U.S. Department of State (DOS) to assist the Government of Iraq (GOI) in eliminating the threats from poorly controlled radioactive materials, while building human capacities so that the GOI can manage other environmental cleanups in their country. The DOS has funded the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to provide technical assistance to the GOI via a Technical Cooperation Project. Program coordination will be provided by the DOS, consistent with U.S. and GOI policies, and Sandia National Laboratories will be responsible for coordination of participants and for providing waste management support. Texas Tech University will continue to provide in-country assistance, including radioactive waste characterization and the stand-up of the Iraq Nuclear Services Company. The GOI owns the problems in Iraq and will be responsible for the vast majority of the implementation of the NDs Program. (authors)

• Research Organization: WM Symposia, 1628 E. Southern Avenue, Suite 9 - 332, Tempe, AZ 85282 (United States)
• OSTI ID: 21305404
• Report Number(s): INIS-US--09-WM-07074
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
IAEA
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
IRAQ
METALS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
RADIATION SOURCES
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
SANDIA NATIONAL LABORATORIES
SECURITY
URANIUM OXIDES U3O8
WASTE STORAGE