Project on the Iraq former nuclear complex
Overview of the Sites and Facilities
There are 10 nuclear sites in Iraq which have been identified as part of the project to decommission the former nuclear complex.
The largest, most complex and most radiologically significant site is Al-Tuwaitha, located about 20 km from Baghdad. This site was established as Iraq’s nuclear research centre for its legitimate nuclear activities from the 1960’s onwards, with support from Russia, Italy and France. The role and purpose of some of the facilities was subverted to a covert nuclear programme during subsequent decades. The principal facilities on the site include two research reactors, two isotope production facilities, a radiochemistry laboratory, hot cell facilities, a fuel fabrication facility and several associated waste management and storage facilities. A total of 18 separate and distinct nuclear facilities and radwaste locations have been identified for inclusion within the decommissioning programme.
Of the other nine nuclear sites included within the decommissioning project, two are adjacent to Al-Tuwaitha and are linked to its activities. These sites are at Wardiya/Location C (a radioactive materials storage area) and Naddaf/Location B (a site used temporarily for spent fuel storage and transfer). The remaining seven sites were essentially part of a covert programme to procure, purify and enrich uranium, including Al-Qaim (fertilizer plant and uranium extraction), Al-Jesira (Uranium ore purification), Adaya (equipment burial site), Rashdiya (centrifuge development facility), Al-Atheer (uranium metal handling), the Geo-pilot Plant (uranium extraction) and Tarmiya (enrichment facility).
The Site location map identifies the location of these sites and provides access to more detailed descriptions of their activities.
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