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Energoatom denies IAEA reports of plutonium, enriched uranium at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
interfax ^ | 26 May 2022 12:08

Posted on 05/26/2022 8:47:39 AM PDT by BenLurkin

Energoatom, the operator of Ukraine's nuclear power plants, has denied a report from IAEA head Rafael Grossi that there are stocks of 30,000 kg of plutonium and 40,000 kg of enriched uranium at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which is controlled by Russian forces.

At a discussion on nuclear safety at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Grossi voiced concerns about the Zaporizhzhia NPP having such nuclear materials and said this was grounds for a visit to the plant by IAEA officials as soon as possible.

Grossi said the IAEA is seeking to visit the Zaporizhzhia NPP, the largest nuclear plant in Europe with six reactors, 30,000 kg of plutonium and 40,000 kg of enriched uranium stored there, but its inspectors cannot get access.

(Excerpt) Read more at interfax.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: energoatom; enricheduranium; iaea; plutonium

1 posted on 05/26/2022 8:47:39 AM PDT by BenLurkin
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To: BenLurkin

I would expect to find ‘enriched’ uranium at a power plant. Typically this enrichment is from 0.7% U235 occurring naturally (the rest being U238) to 4.9% U235. This is well below the 20% or so used for fission weapons.


2 posted on 05/26/2022 8:53:24 AM PDT by posterchild
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To: posterchild

Interesting.


3 posted on 05/26/2022 8:56:20 AM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion, or satire. Or both.)
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To: posterchild

“I would expect to find ‘enriched’ uranium at a power plant. Typically this enrichment is from 0.7% U235 occurring naturally (the rest being U238) to 4.9% U235. This is well below the 20% or so used for fission weapons.”

Makes sense, but how about Plutonium? In any case, unless the Ukes already moved it, Russia will soon take control of it.


4 posted on 05/26/2022 9:00:08 AM PDT by BobL (Putin isn't sending gays into our schools to groom my children, but anti-Putin people are)
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To: BobL

They control this plant already


5 posted on 05/26/2022 9:48:01 AM PDT by Mount Athos
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To: BobL

“...this was grounds for a visit to the plant by IAEA officials...”

These idiots didn’t learn a thing from Iraq. “WE’RE COMING!!!” And the place will look like a ghost town when they get there.

wy69


6 posted on 05/26/2022 10:07:16 AM PDT by whitney69
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To: BenLurkin

I did a little investigation.

The source of this article is Interfax, that’s a Russian company.

BUT they cite IAEA, which the international atomic energy organization with quite a good reputation.

So check IAEA website to see if this is phony or not.
I found this:

https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/iaea-grossi-at-davos-nuclear-power-climate-change-and-ukraine

“He said the use of nuclear weapons was “unthinkable” and explained that the IAEA’s focus was on avoiding nuclear accidents derived from an attack on a nuclear power plant or the release of radioactive material. Mr Grossi added that the IAEA is seeking to visit Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station, under occupation by Russian forces, to verify that the 30,000 kg of plutonium and 40,000 kg of enriched uranium stored there have not been deviated for other uses.”

This is written by the IAEA itself, and the way it is written certainly makes it sound like it is taking seriously these claims of 30 and 40 thousand kg of uranium and plutonium. Maybe it is a mistaken choice of words but the way it is written makes it sound like they already accept it is true.


7 posted on 05/26/2022 10:14:54 AM PDT by Mount Athos
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To: Mount Athos
Given that an atomic bomb only needs maybe a couple kg of Pt or 235U, color me highly skeptical of the claim of 30 or 40 tons...
8 posted on 05/26/2022 10:44:46 AM PDT by null and void (We're trapped between too many questions unanaswered, and too many answers unquestioned...)
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To: null and void

The USA makes around 20 tons of plutonium a year.


9 posted on 05/26/2022 11:08:38 AM PDT by Mount Athos
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To: Mount Athos

Hmmm. Okay, that makes me less skeptical.


10 posted on 05/26/2022 11:13:23 AM PDT by null and void (We're trapped between too many questions unanaswered, and too many answers unquestioned...)
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To: null and void

There are about 2,000 tonnes of highly enriched uranium in the world


11 posted on 05/26/2022 11:13:44 AM PDT by Mount Athos
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To: null and void

Yah,it’s probably plutonium that’s contained in spent fuel rods not pure plutonium.🤔


12 posted on 05/26/2022 12:32:15 PM PDT by BiteYourSelf ( Earth first we'll strip mine the other planets later.)
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To: BobL

I don’t know much about Plutonium other than the fact that its properties are such that you don’t want to build an engine block with it. It will suddenly expand 13 percent at a certain temperature threshold.


13 posted on 06/15/2022 6:27:01 PM PDT by posterchild
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