[ RadSafe ] New from ISIS -- Further Construction at Arak 40 MW Heavy Water Reactor in Iran

Tue Mar 20 15:54:35 CDT 2007

Hello all,

On the subject of proliferation and "new reactor construction" some may be interested in the following email from The Institute for Science and International Security [ISIS] along with a link to the full report.  Sounds vaguely familiar. Advanced research reactors, hot cells, Pu extraction, Iran [vs. Iraq circa 1981].

The email below notes:

"Iranian officials have stated that the reactor is scheduled to be completed in 2009, although this schedule could be delayed for a few years due to problems in building and starting up such a reactor."

Shades of Osirak in 1981?  Iraq's earlier plans to bring its Osirak advanced "research" reactor [which was supplied to Iraq by the French government in the late 1970s in a deal brokered by Jacques Chirac for 900 million $US and oil concessions] into operation, and to begin to extract similar amounts of Pu each year [using hot cells supplied and approved by Germany at the time] ran into a "start-up" problem of sorts when it was destroyed by a precision F-16 bombing raid [ just before the unit began operations] by Israel using laser guided bombs. Will the past be prologue? Not likely.

If anyone is interested in the history of the Osirak reactor, the politics, and the planning and execution of its destruction by Israel see the book: "First Strike--The exclusive story of how Israel foiled Iraq's attempt to get the bomb", Shelomoh Nakdimon, Summit Books, 1987; ISBN: 0-671-63871-8

Most analysts today feel Israel would not act unilaterally in the present case. The situation is different in regards to the dispersed Iranian nuclear program and the fact several superpowers are already involved in substantial initiatives to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

For example, from the Christian Science Monitor:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0818/p06s01-wome.html

Stewart Farber, MS Public Health
Consulting Scientist
Farber Technical Services
1285 Wood Ave.
Bridgeport, CT 06604
[203] 441-8433 [office]
[203] 522-2817 [cell]
email: radproject at sbcglobal.net

===============================
EMAIL FROM ISIS: 
----- Original Message ----- 
From: ISIS 

Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2007 2:46 PM
Subject: New from ISIS -- Further Construction at Arak 40 MW Heavy Water Reactor

ISIS Imagery Brief: Further Construction at Arak 40 MW Heavy Water Reactor 
by David Albright and Paul Brannan 
March 20, 2007 
The Institute for Science and International Security 

ISIS has obtained recent commercial imagery from GeoEye's OrbView-3 satellite of the Arak heavy water reactor and adjacent heavy water production plant in Iran. The imagery from February 25, 2007 shows further construction of buildings adjacent to the reactor vessel. Iran continues to build the 40 MW heavy water reactor at Arak, despite repeated international requests that Iran discontinue this project. Iranian officials have stated that the reactor is scheduled to be completed in 2009, although this schedule could be delayed for a few years due to problems in building and starting up such a reactor. 

When fully operational, the reactor is estimated to be able to produce about 9 kilograms of weapon-grade plutonium per year, enough for one or two nuclear weapons per year. Iran has told the IAEA that it does not intend to build reprocessing facilities to separate plutonium from this reactor. It did state that it was planning to build hot cells to separate "long-lived radioisotopes," but said that it was having problems obtaining the necessary manipulators and lead glass windows. IAEA investigations into Iran's past reprocessing activities continue, despite decreased cooperation from Iran. 

View the Full Report at http://www.isis-online.org/publications/iran/ArakConstruction20March2007.pdf 

For more information contact Paul Brannan or David Albright at 202-547-3633 with any comments or questions. 

_________________________
Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS)
236 Massachusetts Ave. NE
Suite 500
Washington, DC 20002

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