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Summary:
The US Reduced Enrichment for Research and Test Reactors (RERTR) program began in 1978 to reduce the nuclear proliferation threat by reducing, and eventually eliminating, the use of highly enriched uranium (HEU) in civilian research reactor programs. The RERTR program's activities include the development of low enriched uranium (LEU) fuels and modification of existing research reactors to convert them to use LEU fuels instead of HEU fuels. In return for their participation in the program, foreign operators of research reactors using US-origin fuel have required the United States to accept their spent fuel for disposition in the United States.
Participants in Northeast Asia include the United States, Japan, Russia, and South Korea.
China and the RERTR Program:
China has agreed to participate in the program in the future, and the United States have signed a Statement of Intent endorsing US-China RERTR cooperative activities between Chinese laboratories and the US Argonne Laboratory.
The China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and the US Department of Energy have begun discussions on the possible conversion of China's HEU-fueled reactors to use LEU fuel. During the discussions, China has told the United States that it has or is presently, converting its HFTR reactor to use LEU fuels. Also, China's has redesigned its planned CARR 60 MWth next-generation research reactor to use LEU fuels before its construction.
[Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, Department of State, Report to Congress Pursuant to Section 601 of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act of 1978, 1996, pp. 21-23; Mark Hibbs, "Chinese Separation Plant To Reprocess Spent HEU Fuel," Nuclear Fuel, 13 January 1997, p. 3.]
Last Updated June 1998
This
material is produced independently for NTI by the James Martin
Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of
International Studies and does not necessarily reflect the
opinions of and has not been independently verified by NTI or
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MIIS.
