Speaking at the recent 49th session of the general conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), US energy secretary Samuel Bodman has pledged to create a strategic reserve of highly enriched uranium (HEU).
Sending his comments via video to the conference in Vienna, Bodman said: “The US Department of Energy will reserve up to 17 metric tonnes of highly enriched uranium for an IAEA verifiable assured supply arrangement. Through this arrangement, I believe we can advance our common goals of fighting proliferation while expanding the use of nuclear power around the globe.”
Bodman added that while the government of the USA believes that all responsible nations should have access to peaceful uses of nuclear energy, while minimising the threat of proliferation, nations must work together to phase out the use of HEU in commercial reactors.
