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International uranium enrichment center in Angarsk
(Angarsk Project)
 At the meeting of the Interstate Council of the Eurasian Economic Community held in St. Petersburg on January 25, 2006, Russian President Vladimir Putin put forward an initiative to establish a network of international nuclear fuel cycle centers. Such centers should operate under the IAEA safeguards on the basis of nondiscriminatory access for the participating countries.
The creation of an international uranium enrichment center (IUEC) will be Russia's first step in the field of nuclear fuel cycle services. Apart from economic benefits brought by the inflow of foreign investment and the development of high-technology production, the creation of the IUEC could contribute significantly to the strengthening of the nonproliferation regime as it would encourage the participating countries to abandon their national uranium enrichment programs.
The Angarsk Electrochemical Combine (AEC), situated 130 km from the lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia, has been chosen as a site for the establishment of the center.
The AEC is equipped with the sixth generation gas centrifuges that are currently being modernized. The International Center will be created on the basis of the existing infrastructure on the territory of the AEC with an option of a later expansion of generating facilities. It is important to note that this center shall provide services exclusively for uranium enrichment and conversion. Spent fuel will not be transported back to the combine as it has been announced by the AEC general director Victor Shopen at the press-conference on July 21, 2006.
The original plan of the IUEC suggested participation of countries that are just starting to develop their nuclear energy capacity and, thus, do not possess uranium enrichment technologies. However, later the idea grew into a more ambitious plan which does not exclude participation of countries that have dozens of nuclear reactors, but a limited capacity to produce nuclear fuel.
At the moment, it is possible to identify Kazakhstan, Iran, Japan and the Republic of Korea as the four most plausible participants. Agreements with Ukraine may also be covered by the IUEC. Belarus has also expressed its interest in the project in spite of its limited needs for nuclear fuel. It is possible that at some point India may also consider participation in the project. In a more long-term perspective – after the expiration of the LEU-HEU contract in 2013 – the United States may also be interested in placing its orders with the Russian enterprises provided that by that time American enrichment facilities in Ohio and New Mexico do not operate at the projected level.
At a later stage of the IUEC operation the center's work may be of interest to countries that are just starting to develop their nuclear energy capacities. These include Vietnam, Egypt, Indonesia, Turkey as well as Morocco, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and Chile – countries that also consider the possibility of building nuclear power stations. In addition, participation in IUEC may draw interest of countries that possess developed uranium mining industries, including Canada, Australia and Uzbekistan.
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