The United States confirmed that it completed an operation to remove highly enriched uranium from the only nuclear reactor that operated in Venezuela, in a mission coordinated with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), British experts, and Venezuelan authorities.
The radioactive material, originally used for scientific research and nuclear physics, was transported in recent weeks to a secure facility located in South Carolina.
The operation removed more than 13 kilograms of enriched uranium
According to the State Department, the uranium came from the RV-1 reactor, located at the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research (IVIC), on the outskirts of Caracas.
Washington detailed that the nuclear material had originally been supplied to Venezuela under the historic U.S. program "Atoms for Peace."
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) specified that it involved approximately:
13.5 kilograms of enriched uranium
material enriched above 20%
fuel considered sensitive from a nuclear perspective
The Venezuelan nuclear reactor had been out of service since 1991
The RV-1 reactor was inaugurated in 1960 and represented the first and only operational nuclear reactor in Venezuela.
Built by General Electric during the civil nuclear program promoted by the United States during the Cold War, the reactor ceased operations in 1991.
Since then, the enriched uranium had remained stored in Venezuelan territory.
How the extraction of nuclear material was carried out
The operation took place between late April and early May.
The procedure included:
