Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant CIA Files - Paperless Archives

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OVl:r the long run, nuclear powl:r separative work
requirements may be reduced as a result of reprocessing,
that is, I:xtracting the usable plutonium and
uranium from the used nuclear fue1.t
Table 1
T .. :I-Enrichment Contracts
(MTSWU)
Jrhe
Soviets stated that they Intend to use the recovered
plutonium in fast breeder reactors, sharply reducing
the rate of increase of separative work requirements
for this reactor type beginning in the mid-I 990s.
Recycling of recovered uranium could occur sooner,
perhaps hy the late 1980s. However, because of the
long cooling period before spent fuel is shipped from
the reactor (currently five years) and the rapid expansion
in the number .of reactors', the impact of reprocessing
on Soviet separative work rC(!uirements over
the next decade probably will be Quite small.
The ToU ·Enrichment Program
In addition to supporting its own nuclear power
program and those of the other CEMA countries, the
Soviet Union sells uranium enrichment services to the
nuclear power programs of ;'arious \Vcstcrn countries
through a commercial loll enrichment program. The
uranium to be enriched is provided iii all cascs by thc
customer, not by the Soviet Union. Each sales contract
speeifiC"$ the wasle (tail.