Nuclear Issues: Russia's closure of plutonium reactor, marks major milestone in nuclear nonproliferation efforts

AAP reports that Russia has closed down a plutonium-producing reactor, marking a major milestone in nuclear nonproliferation efforts, a Russian news agency has reported.

The US and Russia have been working for years on arrangements to close Russia's three remaining weapons-grade plutonium-producing reactors.

A second reactor, also in the Siberian town of Seversk, is expected to be shut down in June, the ITAR-TASS news agency quoted a Siberian Chemicals plant official as saying.

The reactor that closed on Sunday was temporarily deactivated in an unscheduled incident earlier this month.

Plant officials, who were not immediately available to confirm the report, have said the stoppage was caused by a power failure and no leaks had been detected. Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency officials also could not be reached for comment.

The third reactor, in the central Siberian town of Zheleznogorsk, is expected to be closed at the end of next year.

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