Under a 2000 U.S.-Russia Plutonium Management and Disposition Agreement, eachcountry is obligated to dispose of at least 34 metric tons of surplus weapon-gradeplutonium. Both countries are planning to dispose of their surplus plutonium byirradiating it as mixed oxide (MOX) fuel in nuclear reactors—once the plutonium hasbeen irradiated as MOX fuel in a nuclear reactor, it is rendered non-weapon-usable andmeets the “spent fuel standard” as defined by the National Academy of Sciences. Tofulfill the U.S. commitment, DOE/NNSA is building a Mixed Oxide (MOX) FuelFabrication Facility and a Waste Solidification Building (WSB) at the Savannah RiverSite (SRS) near Aiken, South Carolina. DOE/NNSA also is evaluating options of how tomost effectively convert weapon-grade plutonium into oxide form consistent with theMOX schedule and specifications. Russia is planning to dispose of its surplus plutoniumin its BN-600 and BN-800 fast reactors with certain nonproliferation conditions. TheUnited States and Russia are negotiating amendments to the 2000 Agreement to reflectthe current plans for each country. The fissile materials disposition effort is among themost tangible examples of the U.S. commitment to fulfill its obligation to draw down itsnuclear arsenal in a transparent and irreversible manner, consistent with Article VI of theNon-Proliferation Treaty.
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