Representatives of Urenco, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, and the IAEA gathered at Urenco’s Capenhurst site. (Photo: Urenco)
Uranium enricher Urenco welcomed representatives from the International Atomic Energy Agency to an August 19 event to mark the creation of an IAEA Centre of Excellence for Safeguards and Non-Proliferation at its Capenhurst, England, site. Representatives of the three nations with ownership stakes in Urenco—the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Germany—were joined by representatives from the United States, where Urenco also operates an enrichment plant. Urenco expects the new center to be fully operational in 2025.
Testing and training: The planned Urenco-owned facility will “establish a nuclear nonproliferation testing and training base for the benefit of IAEA safeguards and the international nonproliferation system.” It will be housed inside a decommissioned Urenco gas centrifuge enrichment plant brought back into active service specifically for safeguarding training.
Urenco describes the project as the only facility of its kind globally and says it will help the IAEA enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of safeguards implementation at other gas centrifuge enrichment facilities. The center will help the IAEA develop and test nuclear verification technologies.
“We are very proud to be able to contribute and collaborate with this international community to help grow expertise in nuclear safeguards by building a dedicated facility at our U.K. site,” said Urenco chief executive officer Boris Schucht. “We will continue to use our expertise and technologies to support nonproliferation and the safeguarding of civil nuclear operations.”
IAEA safeguards: IAEA director general Rafael Mariano Grossi was on hand to unveil a plaque commemorating the new center.
“Staying ahead of technology advances is a crucial part of the IAEA’s work as the world’s nuclear watchdog,” Grossi said. “The Centre of Excellence for Safeguards and Non-Proliferation at Capenhurst will strengthen IAEA safeguards inspectors’ training and enhance the research and development of safeguards equipment and techniques.
“I would like to commend the governments of Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and the executive team at Urenco for their understanding of the always-evolving demands of safeguards and nuclear nonproliferation, and their leadership in turning this facility from an idea into a valuable hands-on tool in the pursuit of international peace and security.”
