OREANDA-NEWS. June 25, 2015. Mr. Yukiya Amano, Director General of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) paid a visit to Stock Company Angarsk Electrolytic Chemical Combine (AECC) and SC International Uranium Enrichment Center (IUEC).

Mr. Yukiya Amano arrived at Russia on invitation of Mr. V.V. Putin, President of the Russian Federation. Along with participation in Sankt-Petersburg International Economic Forum, the program of the visit envisaged an acquaintance tour to Angarsk, where the premises of IUEC are located and guarantee stock of low-enrichment uranium accumulated under the aegis of IAEA is stored. Mr. Yukiya Amano made acquaintance with separation production of AECC visited the warehouse of IUEC with guarantee stock of low-enriched uranium.

The IAEA Director General made high assessment to the state of technologies and safety applied by IUEC. At the briefing arranged on the results of the visits to the production sites Yu. Amano noted, "the bank of low-enrichment uranium in Angarsk is a very good reference project for other regional banks of LEU to be established by IAEA in the future". The bank based on IUEC "was established in a very effective manner and it would become an example for implementation of similar projects in the future" - he said. According to Mr. Amano, the fuel bank in Angarsk is dedicated "to ensure stable and substantial operation of nuclear power plants".

"In the IAEA we think, - Mr. Yukiya Amano said, - that use of atomic energy will be increasing on the one hand due to the climatic changes, which take place, and, on the other hand, thanks to the economic considerations. And a key aspect here is reliable and substantial use of atomic energy". In his opinion for this it is necessary to establish the guarantee stocks of nuclear fuel, which could be delivered to the states as they need it including those ones to which the uranium supplies could be prohibited because of political reasons.

Answering the question of the journalists regarding possibility for establishment of international centers for different stages of nuclear fuel cycle including the one associated with spent nuclear fuel management (SNF), Mr. Yu. Amano said, "The idea of SNF management with involvement of several countries is long overdue, the research in this area is performed, in my vision this issue is to be discussed in the future".

The IAEA Director General made high assessment to the work of Russia in the area of nuclear non-proliferation. "Russia is very advanced in the use of atomic energy and nuclear technologies. Russia possesses expert knowledge, and renders assistance to both entire international community and IAEA from the point of view of nuclear non-proliferation. The cooperation in this area is really very useful", - Mr. Yukiya Amano stated.