U.S. Converts Czech Research Reactor to LEU Fuel Use

The Czech Technical University’s research reactor has become the first Russian-supplied reactor to convert successfully from using highly enriched uranium to the less proliferation sensitive low-enriched uranium, the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration announced Friday (see GSN, Sept. 28).

The conversion was accomplished under the agency’s Global Threat Reduction Initiative program. To date, 42 reactors have been converted to fully or partially use LEU fuel, according to the agency.

The Czech reactor previously used an HEU fuel core. Thirty-one pounds of highly enriched uranium fuel was removed in September and repatriated to Russia. The reactor was converted to use low-enriched uranium, and resumed operation once the fuel arrived last month (National Nuclear Security Administration release, Nov. 4).

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