[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 88 (Thursday, May 8, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Page 19477]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-08064]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

National Nuclear Security Administration


Proposed Subsequent Arrangement

AGENCY: National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Energy.

ACTION: Proposed subsequent arrangement to retransfer U.S.-obligated 
nuclear material from Australia to France for reprocessing.

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SUMMARY: This document is being issued under the authority of the 
Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended. The Department of Energy is 
providing notice of a proposed subsequent arrangement under the 
Agreement between the Government of the United States of America and 
the Government of Australia Concerning Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy 
(U.S.-Australia 123 Agreement) and the Agreement for Cooperation in the 
Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy between the United States of America 
and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom). (U.S.-Euratom 123 
Agreement).

DATES: This subsequent arrangement will take effect no sooner than May 
23, 2025 and after 15 days of continuous session of Congress has 
elapsed, beginning the day after the date on which the report required 
under section 131b.(1) of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, is 
submitted to the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign 
Relations Committee. The two time periods referred to above may run 
concurrently.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Caterina Fox, Director, Office of 
Nonproliferation Policy, National Nuclear Security Administration, 
Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 
20585, telephone: (202) 586-4460, or email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This subsequent arrangement details the 
retransfer of 186 spent U-Si fuel assemblies containing 425,145.70g of 
U.S.-obligated low enriched uranium of which 47,711.91g is enriched in 
the isotope U-235, an enrichment level of 11.22%. In addition to the 
low-enriched uranium, the spent fuel assemblies also contain 4000.63g 
of U.S.-obligated plutonium. The spent fuel assemblies were irradiated 
at the Open Pool Australian Lightwater (OPAL) research reactor at the 
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) in Lucas 
Heights, New South Wales, Australia.
    The spent fuel is being retransferred to Orano S.A. at the La Hague 
reprocessing plant in France; a member of Euratom. At La Hague, the 
material is intended for recovery and reprocessing. Any uranium and 
plutonium recovered during the reprocessing will be titled over to 
Orano S.A. The plutonium recovered is to be incorporated into mixed 
oxide fuel assemblies for use in civilian nuclear power plants in 
France or in the European Union or until it is disposed of in 
accordance with terms that are acceptable to the United States.
    In accordance with section 131 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as 
amended, I have determined that this subsequent arrangement concerning 
the retransfer of U.S.-obligated special nuclear material for 
reprocessing will not be inimical to the common defense and security of 
the United States of America. Furthermore, I have made the judgement 
that it will not result in a significant increase in the risk of 
proliferation beyond that which exists now, or which existed at the 
time approval was requested.

Signing Authority

    This document of the Department of Energy of the Department of 
Energy was signed on April 30, 2025, by Teresa Robbins, Acting Under 
Secretary for Nuclear Security and Administrator, National Nuclear 
Security Administration, pursuant to delegated authority from the 
Secretary of Energy. That document with the original signature and date 
is maintained by DOE. For administrative purposes only, and in 
compliance with requirements of the Office of the Federal Register, the 
undersigned DOE Federal Register Liaison Officer has been authorized to 
sign and submit the document in electronic format for publication, as 
an official document of the Department of Energy. This administrative 
process in no way alters the legal effect of this document upon 
publication in the Federal Register.

    Signed in Washington, DC, on May 5, 2025.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2025-08064 Filed 5-7-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P