Department of Energy, Interagency Review Needed to Update U.S. Position on Enriched Uranium That Can Be Used for Tritium Production

" The United States needs an assured source of tritium to maintain the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile. To produce tritium, DOE has stated that it can only use LEU with no obligation to other countries under international agreements to use it for only peaceful purposes. USEC, a government corporation privatized in 1998, was the only company enriching uranium that DOE said could meet its LEU needs, but USEC ceased enrichment operations in May 2013 and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March 2014. DOE is currently considering options for obtaining unobligated LEU. Only one enrichment facility, which is owned by URENCO, operates in the United States, and four other commercial facilities are planned. Four of the five facilities use or will use technology that carries peaceful use obligations to other countries. GAO was asked to review international agreements addressing enrichment technology in the United States with respect to how peaceful use provisions apply to tritium production. This report examines (1) the extent to which DOE has adhered to its practice of using only unobligated LEU to produce tritium and (2) the basis for this practice. To address these issues, GAO analyzed agency documents and international agreements and interviewed DOE and Department of State officials, among other steps. "