US removes all highly enriched uranium from Venezuela DETAILS

The United States has completed the removal of highly enriched uranium from Venezuela’s decommissioned RV-1 research reactor, the US Department of State announced.

According to the statement, all highly enriched uranium has been transported to the Savannah River Site in the US state of South Carolina. In total, the United States has removed or disposed of 7,340 kilograms of weapons-grade nuclear material worldwide.

The operation was carried out in partnership with the United Kingdom and with technical support from the International Atomic Energy Agency. The State Department specified that the transportation of the highly enriched uranium was handled by the British side.

The RV-1 reactor is the only reactor in Venezuela. It was originally built for peaceful scientific research and was later repurposed for gamma irradiation of medical supplies, food products, and other materials.

On May 9, the US Department of Energy reported that 13.5 kilograms of uranium had been removed from Venezuela. The operation lasted six weeks.

By Vugar Khalilov