Statement by NSC Spokesperson Caitlin Hayden on the Completion of the U.S. – Russia “Megatons to Megawatts” Program

Today the United States and Russia are commemorating the completion of one of the most successful non-proliferation programs in our history.  With this week’s off-loading at the Port of Baltimore, Maryland, of the last delivery of low-enriched uranium derived from 500 metric tons of highly enriched uranium, our countries have seen to fruition the implementation of the 1993 U.S.-Russia Highly Enriched Uranium Purchase Agreement.  That low-enriched uranium, which was blended down from 20,000 Russian nuclear warheads, became fuel for U.S. nuclear power reactors as part of a program more commonly known as “Megatons to Megawatts.” The program supplied nearly ten percent of all U.S. electricity over the last fifteen years. The United States and Russia remain strongly committed to building on this success, and will continue to collaborate across various fields of nonproliferation, nuclear security, and nuclear research and development.