European securityU.K. to ship highly enriched uranium for disposal in U.S.

Published 31 March 2016

The United Kingdom will ship large quantities of enriched uranium for disposal in the United States, and in return will receive nuclear material from the United States for use in the treatment of cancer patients in Europe. About 700kg of radioactive waste, most of which is held at Dounreay in northern Scotland, will be shipped to the United States to be treated in American nuclear disposal plants, which have a greater capacity than British plants to dispose of radioactive materials.

Train moving flasks of nuclear waste // Source: commons.wikimedia.org

The United Kingdom will ship large quantities of enriched uranium for disposal in the United States, and in return will receive nuclear material from the United States for use in the treatment of cancer patients in Europe.

The Financial Times reports that the nuclear “swap” is part of proposals which Prime Minister David Cameron will be making in a meeting which us underway in Washington, D.C., in which world leaders are focusing on preventing terrorists from obtaining radioactive materials for a dirty bomb.

Cameron’s proposal notes that about 700kg of radioactive waste, most of which is held at Dounreay in northern Scotland, will be shipped to the United States to be treated in American nuclear disposal plants, which have a greater capacity than British plants to dispose of radioactive materials.

British officials noted that a different form of highly-enriched uranium will be returned to Euratom, the EU’s nuclear power agency, which will turn the material into medical isotopes.

A U.K. government source said: “It’s a win-win — we get rid of waste and we get back something which will help us fight against cancer.

“This is an exciting initiative that shows how you can work together to deal with the potential problems and downsides that you have in terms of processing nuclear waste, and turn it into a benefit.”

The Times notes that later in the year, Britain and the United States will stage a joint exercise to prepare for cyberattacks against nuclear power plants and nuclear waste storage facilities.

The United Kingdom will commit £10 million this year to improve security standards around nuclear plants and waste facilities.

The two-day Nuclear Security Summit (NSS), hosted by President Barack Obama, is attended by fifty world leaders.