Key Issues
Preventing the Proliferation of Nuclear Materials
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DOE and the Nuclear Threat Initiative
The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) is a public charity whose mission is to strengthen global security by preventing the spread of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. NTI seeks to raise public awareness of nuclear threats, serve as a catalyst for new thinking and take direct action to reduce these threats.
In September 2006, the U.S. Department of Energy and NTI announced an agreement-in-principle with the government of Kazakhstan to downblend HEU stored at its Institute of Nuclear Physics by diluting it with LEU to create reactor fuel that is unusable for weapons. The agreement also calls for Kazakhstan to convert its VVR-K research reactor to operate on LEU instead of HEU.
The National Nuclear Security Administration
DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) will administer the program. Established by Congress in 2000, NNSA is a semi-autonomous agency within DOE responsible for detecting, preventing and reversing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, while mitigating the risks from nuclear operations.
In September 2006, the United States signed an agreement with the Russian Federation administered by NNSA to eliminate 68 metric tons of surplus weapons-grade plutonium in the United States and Russia. Both countries will dispose of their plutonium by downblending it with LEU to make mixed oxide reactor fuel (MOX), which cannot be used for nuclear weapons.
DOE and the Nuclear Threat Initiative
The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) is a public charity whose mission is to strengthen global security by preventing the spread of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. NTI seeks to raise public awareness of nuclear threats, serve as a catalyst for new thinking and take direct action to reduce these threats.
In September 2006, the U.S. Department of Energy and NTI announced an agreement-in-principle with the government of Kazakhstan to downblend HEU stored at its Institute of Nuclear Physics by diluting it with LEU to create reactor fuel that is unusable for weapons. The agreement also calls for Kazakhstan to convert its VVR-K research reactor to operate on LEU instead of HEU.
The National Nuclear Security Administration
DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) will administer the program. Established by Congress in 2000, NNSA is a semi-autonomous agency within DOE responsible for detecting, preventing and reversing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, while mitigating the risks from nuclear operations.
In September 2006, the United States signed an agreement with the Russian Federation administered by NNSA to eliminate 68 metric tons of surplus weapons-grade plutonium in the United States and Russia. Both countries will dispose of their plutonium by downblending it with LEU to make mixed oxide reactor fuel (MOX), which cannot be used for nuclear weapons.
