According to a report by Bellona, one of the three plutonium production reactors that are still operating in Russia, ADE-4 in Seversk/Tomsk-7, will be shut down on Sunday, April 20, 2008.
Another reactor in Seversk, ADE-5, is expected to be shut down later this year. The ADE-2 reactor in Zheleznogorsk/Krasnoyarsk-26 will operate until 2010. The three reactors have been producing about 1.2 tonnes of weapon-grade plutonium a year. Since 1994 this plutonium is stored as plutonium dioxide. Russia pledged not to use this material for weapons.
UPDATE 04/20/08: The reactor was shut down at 11:00am on April 20, 2008. The second Seversk reactor, ADE-5, will be shut down in June 2008.
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