The Uranium Enrichment Technology (Prohibition on Disclosure) Regulations 2004 make it an offence to make an unauthorised disclosure of uranium enrichment technology.

Well, you need about 75 pounds of it.

In most of these cases, however, low enriched uranium (LEU) can be substituted for HEU, or other techniques can be applied to achieve the required results.

HEU is not required for the generation of civilian nuclear power.

(b) Special fissionable material plutonium 239, uranium 233, uranium enriched in the isotopes 235 or 233.

Such uranium was the material of choice for terrorists.

It had voluntarily suspended uranium enrichment in 2003.

Among a number of worrying cases, a significant amount of highly enriched uranium was discovered in the Caucasus and it is possible that a larger amount remains unaccounted for.

(b) Express the view that minimizing the use of and commerce in HEU for civilian purposes is desirable, as is the goal of total elimination of HEU in the civilian nuclear sector as soon as technically feasible

(c) Encourage all countries to eliminate or commit to converting those civilian HEU fuelled installations under their control, for which there is a continuing need, to LEU fuels as soon as technically feasible

The global stockpile of highly enriched uranium is about 1,300, at the low end, to about 2,100 metric tons.

The excess capacities in plutonium and highly enriched uranium are staggering indeed.

(d) Discourage all countries from undertaking or supporting new civilian projects involving HEU fuel other than for the purpose of down blending that fuel to LEU

It also had to verify the origin of the enriched uranium particles found at a number of locations, and find out how the Islamic Republic of Iran had come into possession of a P 2 uranium enrichment centrifuge technology.

All enrichment and reprocessing facilities must be placed under multilateral control, and a complete moratorium must be declared on the enrichment of uranium and the separation of plutonium.

What would it take to essentially eliminate Iran s uranium enrichment effort?

Agreement on the supply and leasing of enriched uranium and the transfer of equipment and special nuclear materials

In the definition of Natural Uranium (under Uranium natural, depleted, enriched ) replace chemically separated uranium with uranium (which may be chemically separated) .

Combating the risk of nuclear terrorism by reducing the civilian use of highly enriched uranium

Highly enriched uranium (HEU) is of particular concern in this context, due to the technical feasibility of constructing a crude nuclear explosive device from HEU, making it a possible choice for a terrorist group non State actor.

Currently, HEU is used for civilian purposes as a fuel for research and propulsion reactors, in critical assemblies and as the source of certain short lived isotopes, which are produced by bombarding HEU targets.

This includes, in accordance with the IAEA definition, nuclear material that can be used for the manufacture of nuclear explosive devices without further adaptation or additional enrichment. This is plutonium containing less than 80 per cent plutonium 238, highly enriched uranium (HEU) and uranium 233.

The highest priority should therefore be given to impede access by non State actors to HEU.

Every effort must be made to eliminate all uses of highly enriched uranium in civilian nuclear programmes.

All 35 Brazilian nuclear facilities are under international ABACC and IAEA safeguards, including one uranium isotopic enrichment laboratory and one uranium enrichment pilot plant that are located at military facilities.

Nevertheless, there is still a commercial interest in developing more economical methods to produce enriched uranium.

Brazil has developed wide ranging production capabilities, from mining and processing of uranium to UO2 and nuclear fuel element production, all the way to isotopic uranium enrichment.

So, what I'd like to show you is what it would take to hold 75 pounds of highly enriched uranium.

There were also signals emanating from Iran that, having , having mastered uranium enrichment technology, the authorities could envisage continuing enrichment in a third country in a joint consortium with the West. A similar proposal made by Russia was unceremoniously dismissed only a short time ago.

How much of that do you think it would take to actually build a 10 kiloton bomb?

Efforts had been initiated to minimize and eventually eliminate the use of high enriched uranium in peaceful nuclear applications.

We have scant information about this, beyond some limited information about international acquisitions and some detection of traces of highly enriched uranium (HEU) on materials brought out of North Korea. If North Korea is using HEU in its bomb design, we have little knowledge about where it comes from and how much of it they have, or could have in the future.

Further action, however, is required to reduce the possibility that terrorist groups could gain access to HEU.

An incident in Moldova two years ago involving highly enriched uranium which can be used in a nuclear weapon illustrates both the scale of the threat and the possibility of effective counter measures if countries take the problem seriously. Police seized a quantity of the substance from an individual who was attempting to sell it.

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All their highly enriched uranium and plutonium removed from nuclear weapons and disposed of could never be replaced.

As a first step, the nuclear Powers should, on a voluntary basis, provide detailed information on their stocks of plutonium and highly enriched uranium.

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With respect to the application of sensitive materials in civilian nuclear programmes, the continued use of highly enriched uranium was particularly worrisome.

If Iran were interested solely in peaceful uses, the Russian offer or some other plan (such as placing stocks of low enriched uranium in Iran) could meet their needs. Iran s insistence on enrichment inside the country is widely attributed to its desire to produce highly enriched uranium for a bomb.

From the Ukrainian point of view the provisions of a future agreement must envisage the declaration of existing plutonium and highly enriched uranium stocks.

So, when the Bush administration wanted to oppose Iran s program, merely pointing to the bare fact of enrichment wasn t enough. It had to point to other acts, including concealment efforts, which violate the NPT, and argue that these infractions were so serious that Iran s enrichment right must be taken away.

A moratorium on the production and use of highly enriched uranium for civilian use should be negotiated, with a total ban as a long term objective.