Uzbekistan, Tashkent, July 31 / Trend, D. Azizov /
President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov approved an Uzbek-Russian intergovernmental agreement on importing irradiated nuclear fuel of research reactor of the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Uzbekistan's Academy of Sciences into Russia.
The agreement between the governments of Uzbekistan and Russia on cooperation in importing irradiated nuclear fuel into Russia was signed in Tashkent on May 15.
In accordance with the agreement, irradiated fuel from research reactors of the Institute of Nuclear Physics of Uzbekistan's Academy of Sciences will be imported into Russia for disposal and replacement of low-enrichment fuel with its subsequent return to Uzbekistan.
Uzbek President has instructed the Foreign Ministry to send a notice on the fulfillment of internal procedures necessary for this agreement to enter into force by the republic.
The Institute of Nuclear Physics of Uzbekistan was established in 1956 and is one of the leading research centres in Central Asia in areas such as nuclear physics and elementary particle physics, solid state physics, activation analysis, scientific instrumentation and the production of radioactive isotopes.
It has basic experimental facilities, a WWR-SM cyclotron U-150 nuclear reactor and a U-115 neutron generator and gamma setting.
In December 2011 the Institute of Nuclear Physics of Academy of Sciences launched a new nuclear physics facility based on the Elektronika-003 V accelerator. The accelerator produces high-intensity electron beams with energy of six million electron volts.
The construction, installation, adjustment and launch of the accelerator complex were done by the Institute, with technical and financial assistance of "Partnership of the closed nuclear cities'" programme (UK).
According to the State Corporation "Rosatom", Russia is going to import 2.4 tons of highly enriched fuel from research reactors of the third countries by 2016, including Uzbekistan, within the action plan of the Russian-American Presidential Commission on Nuclear Energy and Nuclear Safety, aimed at conversion of research reactors.
According to "Rosatom", these actions are aimed at improving nuclear safety.