OREANDA-NEWS. June 20, 2011. Steven Chu attended the nuclear centre according to Rosatom State Corporation General Director Sergey Kiriyenko’s official invitation.

The purpose of the visit was to develop collaboration between the USA national laboratories and the Russian Federation nuclear centres. The USA Minister of Energy took part in the opening of RFNC-VNIIEF Educational Centre on nuclear materials’ physical protection, accounting and control. This event is one of the examples of the USA and Russia successful collaboration in the field of prevention of nuclear materials distribution in the world.

Rosatom State Corporation Deputy Director –Directorate on Nuclear Weapons Complex Director Ivan M. Kamenskikh took part in the opening of the Training Center. The Training Centre had been constructed and equipped in compliance with the Agreement between the governments of Russia and the USA “On collaboration in the field of nuclear materials’ protection, control and accounting”.

 The classrooms in the Centre were equipped with up-to-date facilities; theoretical and practical training of VNIIEF personnel and the staff of security and MIA internal security troops would be held there. A part of the equipment had been developed and produced in VNIIEF nuclear centre, the American party was responsible for financing of the project of the centre creation and equipment.

 “The choice of the location was not accidental. RFNC-VNIIEF is one of the largest objects of state significance. The Training Center was constructed according to the special security systems used in Sarov. These are the most efficient systems. And we are grateful to our American colleagues for the work within the framework of the project realization”, Nuclear Centre Director Valentin E. Kostyukov said.

 In the course of the visit Steven Chu got acquainted with the civil technologies and the settings of VNIIEF Institute of Experimental Gas Dynamics and Physics of Explosion and security technical means. He also took part in the discussion of VNIIEF collaboration with the USA national laboratories in the field of science and technologies and met with scientists. The Minister noted that the cooperation of Russia and the USA was held by a number of different branches.

 “At the expense of the leading experience exchange between the two countries we make their nuclear facilities and nuclear armoury storage safer. Recently, we have signed with the Russian party an agreement for collaboration in the civil fields of the nuclear industry, to be exact in the field of the nuclear power industry. Both the sides have old traditions of nuclear power branch development and creation of nuclear centres, plants and facilities. Now the two countries’ relations underwent rebooting. And we are able to move forward and cooperate in this field”, Steven Chu underlined.