DOE/NNSA announced that it had reallocated about $10 million (€10 million) no longer needed for the International Atomic Energy Agency 's Low Enriched Uranium Fuel Bank to instead support peaceful uses assistance and fight cancer.
National Nuclear Security Administration
August 19, 2022
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Last week, DOE/NNSA announced that it had reallocated about $10 million (€10 million) no longer needed for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) Fuel Bank to instead support peaceful uses assistance and fight cancer.
NNSA made the announcement at the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Review Conference (RevCon) in New York. It reallocates part of the $50 million that had previously been designated for the IAEA’s Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) Fuel Bank.
Cancer affects us all and we support the expansion of therapeutic programs that support treatment around the world.
The $10 million will support three IAEA peaceful uses projects:
- The Regional Cooperation Agreement for the Promotion of Nuclear Science and Technology Research in Latin America and the Caribbean (ARCAL)
- The African Regional Cooperative Agreement for Research, Development, and Training related to Nuclear Science and Technology (AFRA)
- The Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy (PACT)
“The United States is seeking to expand access to peaceful uses. It is a critical benefit that can help states meet the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals and enable progress worldwide,” Savannah Blalock, Foreign Affairs Specialist, stated at the NPT RevCon. “Cancer affects us all and we support the expansion of therapeutic programs that support treatment around the world.”
In 2007, NNSA provided $50 million to the IAEA to establish the IAEA LEU Fuel Bank. In 2020, the IAEA informed the United States that it did not anticipate needing all the donated funds to support the fuel bank. NNSA determined the best way forward would be to reallocate the remaining funds for peaceful uses assistance to help alleviate cancer treatment challenges in developing regions.
The United States has long been a supporter of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. As laid out in Article IV of the NPT, peaceful uses of nuclear energy, science, and technology have many benefits.
Through this funding, NNSA aims to provide tangible solutions to the global energy and health care challenges.