Russia's Nuclear Complex
location
Northern Fleet (Murmansk).

activity
Naval nuclear propulsion design, construction, and decommissioning.

plutonium
No.

Weapons-grade uranium
Large stocks of naval reactor fuel, including some HEU enriched to 90%.

IAEA safeguards status
Unsafeguarded.

comments
Most naval reactor fuel is enriched to between 20-45% U-235. Some submarine reactors, however, use fuel enriched to 90%, as do some Russian icebreakers. Several different sites near Murmansk that store reactor fuel include:

  • Northern Machine-Building Plant (also known as PO SMP, Sevmash Shipbuilding Plant, or Yard 412), at Severodvinsk, has overall responsibility for the design, construction, and decommissioning of nuclear-propelled ships. Currently the plant is Russia's only shipyard building for refitting nuclear submarines.
  • Gremikha (also known at the "Yokanga base." Located on the eastern end of the Kola Peninsula on the Barents Sea, Gremikha has been the location of Alfa-and Oscar-class SSNs.
  • Zapadnaya Litsa Naval Base, is one of five principal storage sites for naval reactor fuel.
  • Shipyard No. 10, "Shkval," at Polyamy.
  • Shipyard No. 35, at Sevmorput, is one of five principal storage sites for naval reactor fuel. In August 1993, 1.8 kg of 36% HEU was stolen by two naval servicemen from nuclear submarine fuel assemblies.

previous map next

Previous Site  ·  Back to the Map  ·  Next Site

Maps  ·  Timeline  ·  Interviews  ·  FAQS  ·  Links  ·  Readings
Reactions  ·  Tapes and Transcripts  ·  Explore FRONTLINE

web site copyright WGBH educational foundation

SUPPORT PROVIDED BY