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Model Nuclear
Inventory 2007
Austria
- Location and capability of nuclear facilities
- Fissile material holdings
- Nuclear activities
- International non-proliferation efforts
- Positions taken in international fora on
various issues of disarmament
1.
Location and Capability of Nuclear Facilities
Austria does not operate any nuclear power plants. This is
the result of the referendum in 1978, which rejected the beginning
of the operation of a nuclear power plant at Zwentendorf.
The Austrian parliament prohibited the use of nuclear fission
for energy supply in the country. The Chernobyl accident in
1986 further reinforced the Austrian antagonism to nuclear
power, shared by both political parties and the public at
large, and since then Austrians’ opposition to nuclear
power plants in neighboring countries has also increased.
http://www.foratom.org/Content/Default.asp?PageID=632
http://europa.eu.int/comm/euratom/index_en.html
Research Reactors
Operational: 1 ( Triga II Vienna-Triga mark II)
Shut Down: 2 (Astra-Pool and Sar-Graz-Argonaut )
Decommissioned: 0
Under Construction: 0
Planned: 0
http://www.iaea.or.at/worldatom/rrdb/
2.
Fissile Material Holdings
Highly Enriched Uranium: 0.005-0.02 tons
(end of 2003)
Supplier- US
http://www.isis-online.org/global_stocks/end2003/civil_heu_watch2005.pdf
Waste Disposal
As there are no nuclear power plants in Austria, there is
no need for intermediate or final storage capacities in the
country for high level radioactive waste. The small quantities
of HLW resulting from the activities of the research reactors
are returned to the United States under a framework agreement
concerning nuclear fuel of US origin. Most radioactive waste
produced in Austria is collected and treated at the Austrian
Research Centre, Seibersdorf (ARCS), where the ASTRA research
reactor was located. According to the country’s legislation,
the costs of radioactive waste management have to be borne
by the producer and thus a fee has to be paid for the treatment
of radioactive waste at the time of delivery to ARCS.
The remaining spent fuel from the ASTRA research reactor,
after it's shut down in July 1999, was transferred to Savannah
River, US, in 2001 for final storage. All radioactive material
will be removed from the reactor building, which will be used
as an intermediate storage for conditioned radioactive waste,
scheduled to be operated until 2012. http://europa.eu.int/comm/euratom/index_en.html
3.
Nuclear Activities
Nuclear Research Centers
Austrian Academy of Sciences
Atominstitut of the Austrian Universities
Austrian Research Centre, Seibersdorf
VERA - Vienna Environmental Research Accelerator
http://www.radwaste.org/research.htm
The TRIGA Mark II research reactor, which is operated by the
Atominstitut of the Austrian Universities, is the closest
research reactor to the IAEA headquarters and is therefore
recurrently used by IAEA staff for the development and testing
of safeguards instruments.
Nuclear Cooperation
As Austria does not use nuclear power, its international cooperation
efforts are focused on other forms of energy. Within the European
Union, Austria has cooperated in several efforts in the area
of energy policy, including the SAVE II-program (a directive
on energy efficiency), the Altener II-program (a directive
on the promotion of electricity from renewable energy sources
in the internal electricity market), the directive on the
single market in natural gas, and the SYNERGY-program (cooperation
with non-member countries in the energy sector), among others.
http://europa.eu.int/comm/euratom/index_en.html
In 2006, the Austrian Presidency indicated that under the
stewardship energy policy, a major focal point will be the
fundamental principle of sustainability. Its main aim is “to
achieve an economically optimal supply of energy sources and
raw materials, taking account of security of supply, cost-efficiency
and environmental and social acceptability.” http://www.euronuclear.org/e-news/e-news-11/austria-presidency.htm
4.
International Non-Proliferation Efforts
Treaties Signed and Ratified, date of deposit
Antarctic Treaty, 25 August 1987
APM Convention, 29 June 1998
Biological Weapons Convention, 10 August 1973
Certain Conventional Weapons Convention, 14 March 1983
Chemical Weapons Convention, 17 August 1995
Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), 13 March 1998
Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material,
22 December 1988
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, 27 June 1969
Outer Space Treaty, 26 February 1968
Seabed Treaty, 10 August 1972
Austria signed the Additional Protocol on 22 September 1998.
Multilateral Groups
Australia Group
Conference on Disarmament
Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation
Missile Technology Control Regime
Nuclear Suppliers Group
Wassenaar Arrangement
Zangger Committee
5.
Positions Taken in International Fora on Various Issues of
Nuclear Disarmament
Nuclear Disarmament: “A world free of nuclear
weapons and, as it were, of all weapons of mass destruction
is the aim and goal of Austrian policy. This cannot be achieved
tomorrow. It will require a patient multilateral endeavour,
step by step, beginning with a reduction of nuclear threats
that will eventually, irreversibly and transparently lead
to the complete elimination of all nuclear arsenals. We concur
with others that we must begin to seek an alternative system
of collective security in which nuclear deterrence does not
figure and in which the supply and demand side are equally
addressed.” - Statement by Ambassador Wernfried
Koeffler to the Seventh Review Conference of the NPT, New
York, 4 May 2005. http://www.un.org/events/npt2005/statements/npt04austria.pdf
Disarmament and Non-Proliferation: “Progress
in non-proliferation and a strong commitment to enforce compliance
with the Treaty obligations is urgently needed. Progress in
this field will be possible if there are also tangible results
in nuclear disarmament.” - Statement by Ambassador
Wernfried Koeffler to the Seventh Review Conference of the
NPT, 4 May 2005. http://www.un.org/events/npt2005/statements/npt04austria.pdf
FMCT: “Of equal importance is to start the
negotiations on a comprehensive Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty.
We see such a treaty as a key element for nuclear non-proliferation
and disarmament. An FMCT without a robust verification regime
would be devoid of its purpose and would raise questions about
the commitment of those who are the main addressees of such
a treaty.” - Statement by Ambassador Wernfried
Koeffler to the Seventh Review Conference of the NPT, New
York, 4 May 2005. http://www.un.org/events/npt2005/statements/npt04austria.pdf
Nuclear Doctrine: “Our concern that nuclear
weapons are still central to strategic planning is increased
by reports of intentions to develop new nuclear weapons or
alter their design for new uses. Even the affirmation that
only concepts are being studied is not reassuring.”
- Statement by Ambassador Wernfried Koeffler to the
Seventh Review Conference of the NPT, New York, 4 May 2005.
http://www.un.org/events/npt2005/statements/npt04austria.pdf
CTBT: “Seven years after opening the CTBT for
signature, it is time for those states which have not signed
and ratified the Treaty to do so without conditions and without
further delay. […] In this respect, the CTBT has an
essential role to play as it curbs the qualitative nuclear
arms race and stops the decadeslong deadly spiral of developing
evermore sophisticated and hence more destructive nuclear
weapons. Despite the difficulties in the ratification process
and the uncertainty about the entry- into-force of the CTBT,
we must remain steadfast in our commitment to the treaty.
We must continue to work hard on those countries which still
harbor doubts about the treaty’s verification capabilities
and usefulness in the new international security environment
or which link the ratification of the CTBT with the resolution
of the Middle East conflict.” - Statment by
Minister for Foreign Affairs Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Federal
to the Conference on Facilitating the Entry-into-Force of
the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, 3 September 2003.
Civil Society: “The Land Mine Convention represents
thus one of the most successful processes in international
disarmament. It is unique for the way it was negotiated and
the close involvement of civil society and non-governmental
organizations. The Convention is unique as it is the first
disarmament treaty, which addresses the needs of survivors
of these odious weapons.” - Statement by Ambassador
Wolfgang Petritsch to the Conference on Disarmament, Geneva,
13 March 2007. http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/political/cd/speeches07/1session/March13Austria.pdf
Cluster Munitions: “I would like to inform
you that I had been authorized by the Austrian Federal President
acting upon a proposal by the Austrian Federal Government
to announce during the recent Oslo meeting a national moratorium
on the use of cluster bombs and cluster munitions. This moratorium
reads in its English translation: ...The Republic of Austria
declares that the Austrian Armed Forces until the elaboration
of an adequate international regulation renounce the use of
cluster bombs and cluster munitons.” - Statement
by Ambassador Wolfgang Petritsch to the Conference on Disarmament,
13 March 2007. http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/political/cd/speeches07/1session/March13Austria.pdf
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