Add this Page to Favorites

COMPANIES COMPLETE CONVERTING WEAPONS-GRADE URANIUM FOR POWER

WASHINGTON (AP) - A milestone has been reached in the campaign to reduce the stockpile of weapons-grade uranium left over from the Cold War years. Two private companies announced Thursday they have finished converting 50 metric tons of weapons-suitable highly enriched uranium to uranium that can be used by commercial nuclear power plants but not in weapons.

The conversion by mixing the highly enriched uranium with depleted uranium was conducted by BWX Technologies at its facility in Lynchburg, Va., for the USEC Inc., the uranium enrichment company that supplies reactor fuel for the nuclear industry.

BWX partners with Bechtel National to operate the 4,700-employee, 811-acre Y-12 nuclear weapons complex at Oak Ridge, Tenn. Y-12 makes parts for every warhead in the country's nuclear arsenal and is the primary storehouse for bomb-grade uranium.

USEC obtained the 50 metric tons - enough for 800 nuclear warheads - when the government's two enrichment facilities were privatized in 1998, resulting in the creation of USEC. The uranium conversion began a year later and was completed earlier this year, the officials said.

About 660 metric tons of low-enriched uranium was produced and already has been provided to dozens of utilities to be used in power reactors.

Linton Brooks, head of the Energy Department's National Nuclear Security Administration, said the conversion of the uranium was an important part of the government's non-proliferation effort.

"We have successfully turned weapons material into something people can use to turn the lights on in their house," said Brooks.

Brooks said the government has "several hundred" tons of highly enriched uranium that is being withdrawn from the weapons stockpile, although some of it remains in warheads awaiting to be dismantled. Most of that material is being kept for use by the Navy, although about 17 tons are expected be made available for conversion in the next few years.

Separately, the Energy Department is providing 39 tons of highly enriched uranium to the Tennessee Valley Authority, which, after converting it, uses it in TVA's power reactors. About half of that amount already has been converted.

Click here or the image below to go to the Power web page for information and links to the membership website sales copy.