Characterization of Iraq’s Remote Nuclear Facilities for Decommissioning and Waste Management

The Government of Iraq (GOI) has undertaken efforts to decommission and dismantle former nuclear facilities. The GOI has only preliminary information on some of the former nuclear facilities. This paper will highlight the challenges involved in conducting inspections of the outlying former nuclear facilities in Iraq and present a brief summary of the results of those inspections. The facilities discussed in this paper are located at various sites throughout Iraq, from locations close to Baghdad to those in the north and far western desert areas. Some of the facilities, such as those at the Al Tuwaitha Nuclear Research Center have been visited and characterized. Other facilities, including the following, have not been visited or thoroughly characterized. • Al Jesira, Uranium feed stock production facility; • Adaya, Burial location for contaminated equipment; • Djerf al Naddah, Spent fuel storage facility; • Rashdiya, Centrifuge development center; • Al Qa’im, Uranium (yellowcake) production facility. The visits were conducted to develop an inventory of the buildings/structures that need to be included in decommissioning/dismantlement efforts. The number of buildings, type of construction, size and general condition of the buildings were noted. In addition, attempts were made to determine contamination levels on surfaces, equipment, rubble, etc. This information will be used to support the Iraqi decommissioning and dismantlement project. Because the facilities are scattered throughout the country of Iraq, significant planning and coordination was required to ensure personnel security. Teams consisting of individuals from the Iraqi Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) and Americans were under military escort when traveling to and visiting the sites. Because of the security issues, time on the ground at each site was limited. This paper will highlight the challenges involved in conducting the inspections of the outlying former nuclear facilities In Iraq and present a brief summary of the results of those inspections.