The Canadian Safeguards Support Programme (CSSP): 35 Years of Supporting the International Safeguards Regime

摘要

As one of a number of Canadian nuclear non-proliferation initiatives during the 1970s,Canada decided in 1976 to establish one of the first IAEA safeguards support programs.The objective was to assist the IAEA to develop and supply advanced safeguards systemsand equipment to augment the basic safeguards systems being applied to the CANDU(Canada Deuterium Uranium) power reactors and other nuclear reactors, facilities ormaterials in, or originating in, Canada. At that time, CANDU type reactors werecriticized as being “unsafeguardable” because they employed on-power, continuousrefuelling. As a result of the work done by the CSSP, the IAEA, in 1986, announced thatthe CANDU type reactors were “safeguardable”. The CSSP continued to improve theeffectiveness of the safeguards instrumentation deployed by the IAEA at the Canadianfacilities and CANDU facilities elsewhere. This effort extended to the implementation ofremote monitoring which allowed the IAEA to reach its Broader Safeguards Conclusionon Canada in 2005.The CSSP’s contribution has not been limited solely to the development and delivery ofsafeguards equipment, procedures and training associated with CANDU reactors. TheCanadian Government recognized that Canada is one of the major exporters of uraniumin the world. Thus, CSSP work also concentrates on studies to improve safeguardsapproaches, such as the Activities for Strengthened Safeguards at Locations notPreviously Inspected. Diverse work has also been conducted in areas such as undertakingthe development of software for training and information gathering, assisting in thedevelopment of the IAEA’s Physical Model, safeguards by design, introducing the IAEAto novel technologies, etc. All of this CSSP work has influenced, both directly andindirectly, the IAEA’s safeguards implementation. This paper offers a brief view of theCSSP’s contribution to the International Safeguards regime established by the IAEAsince its conception to the present day and provides a short discussion of the CSSP’santicipated future activities.