The United States, working with the United Kingdom and International Atomic Energy Agency, successfully removed highly enriched uranium from a Venezuelan research reactor.
The operation was carried out by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. The existence of the highly enriched uranium had long been known, being used in an old RV-1 reactor for research purposes well before the socialist takeover of the country. It ceased operations in 1991 and hasn’t been used since.
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Beginning in April, the uranium was transferred from the shutdown reactor south of Caracas, Venezuela, 100 miles overland to a port in a nighttime convoy protected by the Venezuelan military. The uranium was placed in a British ship and shipped to the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina.
“The safe removal of all enriched uranium from Venezuela sends another signal to the world of a restored and renewed Venezuela,” Brandon Williams, NNSA administrator, said in a statement. “Thanks to President Trump’s decisive leadership, the dedicated teams on the ground completed in months what would have normally taken years.”
The press release from the NNSA said the 30 pounds of uranium would be processed at the H Canyon chemical separations facility to “obtain high-assay low-enriched uranium for America’s nuclear renaissance.”
The operation began in February when Energy Secretary Chris Wright visited Venezuela, during which the matter was discussed with Venezuelan officials.
The IAEA also boasted of its role, thanking the U.S., Venezuelan, and U.K. experts it worked alongside.
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“This has been an example of the strong will, effective coordination, dedication and professionalism of all the parties involved,” IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said in a statement.
Ironically, the uranium was initially supplied to Venezuela by the U.S. and U.K. decades ago.
