RUSSIA: ANGARSK ENRICHMENT CAPACITY TO BE BOOSTED
EnerPub, TX
by World Nuclear News
June 25 2007
The capacity of the Angarsk uranium enrichment plant in Russia could
be quadrupled by 2015
The capacity of the Angarsk uranium enrichment plant in Russia could
be quadrupled by 2015, according to Sergei Kiriyenko, head of the
Federal Atomic Energy Agency (Rosatom). He also reported that Russia
would no longer import depleted uranium for storage and processing.
He said that three projects were currently underway that would expand
production at the Angarsk Electrolysis and Chemical Combine (AECC).
Firstly, capacity at the existing plant would be uprated from
the current 2.6 million separative work units (SWU) up to some 4.2
million SWU. Secondly, the establishment of the International Centre
for Uranium Enrichment at the site, while using existing facilities,
would also raise its capacity. In addition, setting up a joint venture
uranium enrichment plant with Kazakhstan will provide a further
production capacity of some 5 million SWU. The proposed joint venture
plant would enrich uranium mined in Kazakhstan by a joint venture
set up with Russia. This would be in addition to the International
Centre for Uranium Enrichment, in which Kazakhstan already holds a
10% stake. Kiriyenko said that production capacity at Angarsk could
therefore reach some 10 million SWU by 2015.
Kiriyenko was speaking at the Angarsk plant on 22 June following
the signing of an agreement on cooperation between Rosatom and the
Irkutsk region, in which the plant is located. The agreement was
signed by Kiriyenko and Alexander Tishanin, governor of the Irkutsk
region. Kiriyenko said that Angarsk will become a priority site for
Russia’s international programs. "We are going to invest over $2.5
billion in the city and create 2000 additional jobs," he said.
Russia and Kazakhstan signed an agreement on 10 May on creating the
International Centre for Uranium Enrichment. Kiriyenko said that the
first investments into the joint venture for uranium enrichment in
Angarsk will make up "at least $2.5 billion just for centrifuges." He
noted that Ukraine "could approach the stage of formalizing documents
for its participation" in the project by the end of 2007. Armenian
president Robert Kocharian said in late May that Armenia was ready to
join the project. Kiriyenko added that a number of other countries
had expressed interest in participating. He said, "Russia has a 90%
stake in the project, while Kazakhstan has 10%. Russia does not need
such a large stake, and it may transfer some of the stock to other
countries." Kiriyenko said, "Each country may acquire a stake in the
centre, receive uranium enrichment services and certain revenues." He
added: "The only thing they won’t get will be the Russian uranium
enrichment technology."
Kiriyenko also announced that Russia will no longer import depleted
uranium from Europe for enrichment. Western enrichers have been
sending materials from the uranium enrichment process to Russia,
including uranium hexafluoride (UF6) and uranium tailings, since
the 1990s. "France and Germany have less advanced technology for
enriching uranium, and we ‘squeeze out’ [additional uranium] from
their uranium hexafluoride." However, Kiriyenko said, "We decided
over a year ago that we would not sign new contracts or extend old
ones, but we cannot tear up agreements that we already have – they
expire in 2009-2010." He added, "We are now looking for technology
to defluorinate uranium tailings. And if we fail to find a solution,
I will ban tailings imports into Russia."
Russia produces over 3200 tonnes per year of uranium oxide
concentrate (U3O8), according to Kiriyenko. He told Reuters, "Our
confirmed reserves and resources are about 850,000 tonnes within
Russia." He added, "Our reserves are more than one million tonnes
if we include our joint ventures abroad, including our joint venture
in Kazakhstan." Kiriyenko said Russia has enough uranium deposits to
ensure steady supply of raw materials for its enrichment plants for
the next 30-50 years. "I am sure that we have enough natural uranium
for decades ahead," he said.
* SWU, or Separative Work Unit, is the unit used to measure the energy
required to separate uranium-235 from uranium-238.