A North Korean nuclear reactor at the country’s Yongbyon complex appears to be operating for the very first time, said the UN nuclear watchdog and independent experts on Thursday (Dec 21).
This indicates an additional potential source of plutonium for nuclear weapons.
North Korea for years has been using spent fuel from a 5-megawatt nuclear reactor at Yongbyon to produce plutonium for its nuclear arsenal but a telltale discharge of warm water from a larger light-water reactor suggests it is coming online, too, said the International Atomic Energy Agency in a statement.
“The discharge of warm water is indicative the reactor has reached criticality,” IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said in a statement, meaning the nuclear chain reaction in the reactor is self-sustaining.
The IAEA lost access to North Korea since Pyongyang expelled its inspectors in the year 2009. The agency now observes the country mainly using satellite imagery.
Grossi further added that without the access, it was difficult for the IAEA to confirm the operational status of the reactor.
The IAEA in a statement said that it had recorded a strong outflow of water from the light-water reactor’s cooling system since October, suggesting ongoing commissioning of the reactor.
Grossi further elucidating on the current status, said that there were recent indications pointing out that the water was warm.
“The LWR, like any nuclear reactor, can produce plutonium in its irradiated fuel, which can be separated during reprocessing, so this is a cause for concern,” he said, adding that the advancement of North Korea’s nuclear program was “deeply regrettable”.
Surge in Plutonium
The researchers at the James Martain Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) in California also concluded that the reactor was most likely operating, adding that it may be “a significant source of nuclear material” for the nuclear weapons program, which is banned by United Nations Security Council resolutions.
In the report that came out in the month of April, the DC-based Institute for Science and International Security estimated the light-water reactor “could allow a surge in plutonium quantities at an estimated rate of about 20 kilograms of plutonium per year, a rate of four to five times larger than that of the small adjacent reactor”.
The study suggested that North Korea may have anywhere from 31 to 96 nuclear warheads, depending on the types of devices being built and which fuel is being used.
(With inputs from agencies)
