tech
May 7, 2026
Venezuela extracts nuclear material due to increased risk after US attack
Venezuela reported this Thursday that it carried out a safe operation for containment, extraction, land transport, and shipment of remaining nuclear material from the RV-1 Experimental Reactor, which completed its cycle in 1991, as the risk level increased following the US military attack last January. "The military attack perpetrated on January 3 [...]
TL;DR
- Venezuela conducted a safe operation to remove remaining nuclear material from the RV-1 Experimental Reactor.
- The operation was prompted by increased risk after a U.S. military attack on January 3, 2026, near the facility.
- The reactor, designed by Humberto Fernández Morán, finished its operational cycle in 1991 and was officially closed in 1997.
- The extraction, transport, and shipment occurred between April 18 and 29 from IVIC in Miranda state to Puerto Cabello in Carabobo state.
- The operation involved Venezuela's Ministry of Science and Technology, the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), and the United Kingdom for specialized maritime transport.
- The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) supervised safeguards, provided technical verification, and trained national personnel.
- Material not removed in the late 1990s had remained under safe cooling, control, and storage conditions.