Russia signs raft of agreements at IAEA

On the sidelines of the  61st International Atomic Energy Agency General Conference in Vienna from 18-22 September, Russia signed a number of bilateral nuclear co-operation agreements. 

Cambodia

An inter-governmental agreement on cooperation on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy was signed with Cambodia establishing a legal basis for cooperation in nuclear education and training, fundamental and applied research, and the use of irradiation technologies in manufacturing, medicine, agriculture, and environmental protection.  It paves the way for wider co-operation on large-scale strategic projects in nuclear power. This followed a memorandum in May 2016 on the establishment of an information centre for nuclear energy in Cambodia, and of a joint working group on the peaceful use of nuclear energy.  The first meeting of the joint working group  was held in August 2016.

Bolivia

Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom signed a contract with the Bolivian Nuclear Energy Agency (ABEN) for the construction of a nuclear research and technology centre in El Alto, Bolivia. The $300m centre will be equipped with a multi-purpose experimental gamma-installation, as well as a cyclotron and a radiopharmacology complex, engineering facilities and various laboratories. Commissioning of the centre's first facilities is scheduled for 2019.

Paraguay

An agreement was also signed between Rosatom and Paraguay’s National Radiological and Nuclear Control Agency (Autoridad Reguladora Radiológica y Nuclear, ARRN). Rosatom said the agreement will be a "starting point for active dialogue" on nuclear energy that will "help to start practical implementation of specific cooperation projects". It provides the legal basis for wide cooperation in a number of areas, including: assistance with the creation and improvement of Paraguay's nuclear infrastructure; nuclear and radiation safety control, supervision of the physical protection of nuclear materials, radiation sources, nuclear materials and radioactive materials storage points, as well as accounting and control systems for nuclear materials, radioactive materials, and radioactive waste; fundamental and applied research into the peaceful use of nuclear power; production of radionuclides and their use in medicine, industrial and agricultural sectors; cooperation in the use of radiation technologies and nuclear medicine; training, education, and retraining of nuclear power specialists. Joint task force teams will be set up for specific projects and scientific research, as well as expert exchange, workshops and conferences, assistance with training and education of scientific and technical staff, scientific and technical information exchange, and supply of equipment, materials, and components. An earlier memorandum of understanding between Rosatom and the ARRN was signed in October last year.

Kazakhstan

Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev signed two documents on nuclear power cooperation with, Kazakhstan Energy Minister Kanat Bozumbaev. The first document was a Protocol to a 1995 inter-governmental agreement on cooperation and mutual settlements in the recycling of nuclear ammunition.  It marks completion of world’s largest disarmament project which saw about 500 tonnes of military uranium extracted from nuclear ammunition  transferred from the military to the civil category. The second document was an inter-governmental agreement on cooperation in the field of scientific research and development in the nuclear energy sector raising such cooperation to a new level.

IAEA deal on uranium cleanup in Central Asia

The IAEA and Rosatom signed practical arrangements related to the cooperation in rehabilitation of uranium legacy facilities in Central Asia. The document was signed by Rosatom Deputy Director General Nikolai Spasskiy and IAEA Deputy Director General and the Head of the IAEA Nuclear Safety and Security Department Juan Carlos Lentijo. The Practical Arrangements are aimed at increasing efficiency of the interaction between Rosatom and the IAEA in rehabilitation of former uranium production facilities in the Republic of Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic. In particular, the document provides for joint review of engineering solutions used in rehabilitation of the uranium legacy facilities, review of research results and measures for planning future activities, as well as joint development of strategies for participation in multi-sided projects.  This is in addition to a clean-up plan announced by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), which was prepared by IAEA experts   and signed by Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, the IAEA, the European Commission and the EBRD.