DUSHANBE, August 3, Asia-Plus — Tajikistan has applied to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) asking financial support and technical assistance in dismantling nuclear rector “Argus” at the Physical-Technical Institute of Tajik Academy of Sciences and replacing it with the latest electron accelerator.
Qurbon Kabudov, the deputy director of the Physical-Technical Institute, told Asia-Plus that the nuclear reactor was installed at the institute in the 1980s already and had not been practically because the installation of the reactor coincided with the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear plant. “Taking into account the public opinion, members of the Dushanbe city legislature decided to suspend operation of the nuclear reactor,” the deputy director said.
He added that the institute’s nuclear reactor is intended for research works only and absolutely safe. “It has low capacity and it could enrich not more than 0.5 gram of uranium per year,” Kabudov said, noting that Tajik researchers have asked to replace Argus with new modern electron accelerator.
“Negotiations on this subject are ongoing and the government is currently considering documents submitted by the institute,” said Kabudov, “Dismantling the nuclear reactor needs some $50,000.”
The new equipment (electron accelerator) will be multifunctional and allow studying structures of rocks, agricultural crops, etc. “The IAEA is ready to provide this expensive equipment, costing some $1.5 million, free of charge,” the deputy director said, noting that such equipment had been installed in Russia and a n number of European states.
If the negotiations are successful, the IAEA specialists will arrive in Tajikistan to monitor installation of the new equipment, Kabudov said.
