VZCZCXYZ0036
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHC #4791 0122318
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 122313Z JAN 07
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO AMEMBASSY ASTANA PRIORITY 0000

UNCLAS STATE 004791 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ENRG ETTC KSTC MNUC PGOV PREL KZ
SUBJECT: BN350 BILATERAL TALKS - TERMS OF REFERENCE 
 
REF: A. STATE 1609 
 
     ¶B. ASTANA 93 
 
¶1. (U) This is an Action Request: Chiefs of Mission (or 
highest appropriate official at post's discretion) are 
requested to approach the appropriate ranking host government 
official available, as soon as possible, to convey U.S. Terms 
of Reference for Joint U.S. - Kazakhstan Cooperation on 
BN-350 Spent Fuel Permanent Disposition during ongoing 
discussions about permanent disposition options for the 
BN-350 nuclear plant spent fuel.  Given the recent changes in 
host government cabinet, post may wish to informally solicit 
names for the Kazakhstani members of the delegation before 
presenting the written version to the Government of 
Kazakhstan (GOK).   Notional date and location for the 
meeting is January 24-25, 2006 in Astana, Kazakhstan. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Purpose of the Terms of Reference:  To establish a 
framework for bilateral 
U.S. - Kazakhstan discussions regarding the permanent 
disposition of the BN-350 
spent fuel per the discussion on September 28, 2006 by U.S. 
Secretary of Energy 
 
SIPDIS 
Bodman and Kazakhstan President Nazarbayev. 
 
 
¶3. (SBU) BEGIN DRAFT TEXT FOR TERMS OF REFERENCE.: 
 
Terms of Reference for Joint U.S.-Kazakhstan Cooperation on 
BN-350 Spent Fuel Permanent Disposition 
 
Permanent Disposition Framework:  The Governments of the 
United States and Kazakhstan are to commission a bilateral 
Senior Policy Group on Permanent Disposition (SPG) to discuss 
and evaluate options for possible future bilateral 
cooperation for the permanent disposition of Kazakhstan's 
BN-350 spent nuclear fuel.  The purpose of the SPG is to 
develop a joint recommendation for each country's respective 
government on such cooperation.  To facilitate the 
discussion, the SPG is to establish a Technical Working Group 
(TWG) to explore the technical feasibility, costs and 
schedule associated with permanent disposition options.  The 
SPG is to evaluate the potential frameworks under which 
permanent disposition could be implemented, as well as the 
consistency of disposition options with recent global fuel 
cycle initiatives, Kazakhstan,s planned civilian nuclear 
power program, the international nuclear nonproliferation 
regime, and the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear 
Terrorism. 
 
Guidelines for Consideration of Options: 
 
The Governments of the United States and Kazakhstan concur 
that the options to be explored by the TWG and evaluated by 
the SPG should accord with the following policy guidelines: 
 
The Government of Kazakhstan has title to and ownership of 
the spent fuel, along with the associated benefits/assets and 
obligations/liabilities associated with ownership. 
 
Consistent with prior commitments, the BN-350 spent nuclear 
fuel is to be transferred from Aktau to the Baikal-1 Cask 
Storage Facility.   The TWG discussions are to focus solely 
on options for final, permanent disposition. 
 
Permanent disposition should be achieved in a manner that 
meets all of the following objectives: 
-- minimize the proliferation risk associated with the 
material; 
-- maximize the safety and security of the material; 
-- minimize adverse impact on the environment; and 
-- recover any value of the spent fuel. 
 
U.S. SPG Representatives: 
William Tobey, Deputy Administrator, Office of Defense 
Nuclear Nonproliferation, National Nuclear Security 
Administration, U.S. Department of Energy (U.S. Chair) 
Pamela Spratlen, Director of Central Asian Affairs, U.S. 
Department of State, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs 
Kelly Cummins, Director, Office of FSU and Asian Threat 
Reduction, DOE 
Eric Howden, DOE/NNSA BN-350 Spent Fuel Program Manager and 
U.S. Chair of the TWG on BN-350 Permanent Disposition 
Dan Fenstermacher, Ph.D., Program Analyst, Department of 
State, Bureau of International 
Security and Nonproliferation, Office of Nuclear Energy, 
Safety and Security 
 
Kazakhstan SPG Representatives from Ministry of Energy and 
Mineral Resources (MEMR) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs: 
(Names for Kazakhstan Chair and members of the delegation 
should be inserted in consultation with the GOK). 
 
Technical Working Group (TWG) Structure: 
The co-chairs for the TWG are, for the U.S side, Eric Howden 
from DOE/NNSA and for the Kazakhstan side, (GOK IS REQUESTED 
TO PROVIDE NAME OF TWG CO-CHAIR FOR KAZAKHSTAN).  The 
co-chairs are directed by the SPG to assemble the technical 
team and to hold a TWG inaugural meeting in the 
January-February 2007 timeframe. 
 
The TWG is to be added to the joint technical-level working 
group structure used to implement U.S. ) Kazakhstan 
cooperation under the 1997 Implementing Arrangement on 
Long-term Storage of BN-350 Spent Fuel.  The five other 
technical working groups within the program focus on: (1) 
cask design, fabrication and transport; (2) cask storage 
facility design, construction and operations; (3) physical 
protection; (4) safeguards; and (5) project management issues. 
 
The joint TWG structure is a proven approach for the United 
States and Kazakhstan to cooperate successfully on the BN-350 
Spent Fuel Program.  This approach offers a mechanism to 
develop the necessary information for presentation to the 
respective governmental decision-makers in preparation for 
the proposed mid-2007 senior policy meeting. 
 
Objectives of the TWG Inaugural Meeting:  The TWG is to work 
under the guidelines outlined above as well as any additional 
policy guidance from the SPG.  The objectives of the initial 
joint Working Group meeting are to be: (1) technical 
investigation of regional nuclear fuel cycle capabilities and 
discussions related to the international fuel cycle; (2) 
identification of the approach that meets the needs 
identified by the SPG; (3) identification of the specific 
scope of work; (4) personnel assignments to fulfill the 
identified scope of work; and (5) development of a TWG action 
plan.  This action plan is to establish the objectives (per 
policy meeting directive), participants, roles, 
responsibilities, authorities and limitations within the TWG, 
communication guidelines, and points of contact. 
 
Development of Options:  The TWG is to issue a report to the 
SPG by September 2007 that documents and evaluates the 
technical feasibility, costs, and schedule of permanent 
disposition options.  The SPG is to meet in October 2007 to 
recommend one or more permanent disposition options to the 
Governments of the United States and Kazakhstan. 
 
The following signatories representing the United States of 
America and the Republic of Kazakhstan concur on this Terms 
of Reference 
 
 
 
 
 
William Tobey                              Name of 
Kazakhstani Co-Chair 
U.S. DOE/NNSA                Date          Kazakhstan MEMR 
       Date 
 
 
 
END DRAFT TEXT FOR TERMS OF REFERENCE. 
 
 
¶4. (U) MINIMIZE CONSIDERED. 
RICE 
RICE