27 May 1998
(Announcement released by the Department of Energy May 26) (820)
Washington -- The Department of Energy (DOE) announced May 25 that
four more Russian nuclear facilities upgrades were complete. The
nuclear material protection, control, and accounting program (MPC&A)
is a joint undertaking by DOE and the Russian Ministry of Atomic
Energy (MINATOM). Representatives of both DOE and MINATOM will be
present for commissioning ceremonies of the new security systems this
week in Sverdlovsk, Zarechny, Snezhinsk, and Moscow.
DOE and MINATOM have been cooperating since 1994 to improve security
systems throughout Russia which involving weapons-usable material.
MPC&A was originally part of the Department of Defense's Cooperative
Threat Reduction program, but was assumed by DOE in 1995.
The four sites are the latest facilities to complete the installation
of nuclear MPC&A upgrades under DOE's cooperative efforts with Russia,
the New Independent States and the Baltics, according to the DOE
announcement.
Following is the text of the announcement:
(Begin text)
U.S. Department of Energy
May 25, 1998
UNITED STATES AND RUSSIA JOIN FORCES TO INCREASE RUSSIAN NUCLEAR
MATERIAL SECURITY
Department of Energy Participates in Commissioning Ceremonies in
Russia
The United States and the Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy (MlNATOM)
yesterday announced the completion of upgrades at four Russian
facilities that will help to secure and control nuclear materials,
reducing the worldwide risk of nuclear proliferation. Representatives
of the Department of Energy (DOE) and MINATOM, including DOE's Under
Secretary Ernest Moniz and Director of Nonproliferation and National
Security, Rose Gottemoeller, are holding commissioning ceremonies for
the new security systems this week at each of the facilities.
Nuclear material protection, control and accounting (MPC&A) upgrades
have been installed at:
-- The Sverdlovsk Branch of Research and Development Institute of
Power Engineering and the Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Plant in Zarechny;
-- The Pulse Research Reactor Facility at the All-Russian Scientific
Research Institute of Technical Physics in Snezhinsk, and
-- The Moscow State Engineering Physics Institute in Moscow.
"We look forward to building upon this important success in future
cooperation between our governments to ensure that all weapons-usable
material in both of our countries remains out of reach of terrorists
and rogue states," said Under Secretary Ernest Moniz. "These upgrades
significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized use, theft, or
diversion."
The four sites are the latest facilities to complete the installation
of nuclear MPC&A upgrades under DOE's cooperative efforts with Russia,
the Newly Independent States and the Baltics.
The Department of Energy is installing advanced U.S material
protection technology to increase security at these sensitive sites in
conjunction with the Russian Federation. Physical protection devices,
such as motion detectors, cameras, and vibration sensors have been
placed in rooms containing weapons-grade material. Vibration sensors,
placed on doors and walls, are necessary to prevent a determined thief
from breaking into a room using a drill or heavy-duty saw. Doors and
windows were hardened to delay intruders, and sensors and cameras were
added to thwart theft or diversion of nuclear materials. At the
Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP), a vehicle and personnel portal
were upgraded to include a motorized vehicle gate and a vehicle
entrapment area. The response force at BNPP and Sverdlovsk Branch of
the Research and Development Institute of Power Engineering
(SF-NIKIET) received upgraded radio communication equipment that
allows them to communicate and respond more effectively.
DOE and MINATOM have been cooperating since 1994 to improve the
security of weapons-usable material at locations throughout Russia
under the MPC&A program. Originally part of the Department of
Defense's Cooperative Threat Reduction ("Nunn-Lugar") program, the
initiative was assumed by the Energy Department in 1995. Technical
exports from DOE's national laboratories working directly with their
counterparts in Russia, the Newly Independent States, and the Baltics
carry out the design and installation of MPC&A upgrades.
Since the program's inception, DOE has improved the security of tens
of tons of weapons-usable nuclear material throughout Russia,
Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Uzbekistan, and
Georgia by improving physical protection and material accounting
systems. These protections include radiation portal monitors, tags and
seals, bar-coding materials, access control devices, and inventory
control software for material accounting systems. The MPC&A initiative
also offers training to the staff of the facilities in the use of
these systems.
Site-wide MPC&A upgrades were completed at six additional sites in
Russia in December 1997, and Commissioning Ceremonies for these sites
were held in February and early May 1998. To date, site-wide MPC&A
upgrades have been completed at 17 sites throughout the former Soviet
Union. By December 2OO2, more than 50 locations are scheduled to
receive nuclear material security and accounting upgrades, protecting
hundreds of additional tons of weapons-usable material from theft or
diversion.
More information on MPC&A initiatives are available on the World Wide
Web at: http://www.nn.doe.gov.
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