latest embassy news 

Expansion of U.S. – Lithuania Cooperation in the Area of Nuclear and Radiological Security

September 8, 2004

Press event:

Thursday, 9 September 2004

11:00               Maisiagala Nuclear waste repository tour

11:20               Demonstration of equipment

12:40               Speeches of Lithuanian and U.S. representatives

Registration required, please call or e-mail to provide name by 5.00 p.m. today.
 
On September 9, 2004, U.S. and Lithuanian officials will commission a number of systems to further assure non-proliferation of dangerous nuclear material stored in Lithuania.

Scheduled attendees to the ceremony include: Ambassador of the United States Stephen Mull, Hon. Alfonsas Macaitis, Chair of Lithuanian Seimas Environmental Committee; Ed McGinnes and Ionna Iliopulos of the US Department of Energy NNSA, secretary of the Lithuanian Ministry of Environment Aleksandras Spruogis, members of the Lithuanian Parliament National Security Committee, Chief of Vilnius Police Department Mr. Erikas Kaliacius and others.

The main site commissioned during the ceremony will be the Maisiagala nuclear waste repository, opened in 1963 and formerly used by the Soviet military.  Located approximately 30 km north of Vilnius, Maisiagala Repository closed in 1988; however, high-risk radioactive sources remain buried at the site, including cesium.

While there is an accounting of materials buried at the site after 1973, there is no accounting of what was buried during the 1963 to 1973 period.  Since it is virtually impossible and prohibitively expensive to evacuate the site, with the U.S. funding a modern monitoring and diversion detection system has been installed at the site.  Based on the Maisiagala site enhancements, Lithuanian law enforcement personnel receive distress data immediately and are able to respond on time and with sufficient force.

These new enhancements are in addition to measures already taken to secure contaminated beryllium at Ignalina and a donation of equipment to augment Government of Lithuania radiation detection capabilities.  The system was designed and installed by Canberra Aquila, Inc. under supervision of the U.S. Sandia National Laboratories (SNL).  A local vendor, Lithuanian Joint Stock Company INTA, is the in-country integrating contractor.  Aquila and INTA had previously cooperated in manufacturing an installing detection and monitoring equipment at the Vilnius International Airport.

Also commissioned were the security upgrades performed at five Lithuanian oncology clinics that have been using radioactive material of risk in their teletherapy machines.