U.S. Completes Transfer of Venezuela’s Enriched Uranium to South Carolina.
The U.S., with international partners, completed the removal of enriched uranium from a Venezuelan research reactor to South Carolina.
PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announced the removal of 13.5 kilograms of enriched uranium from Venezuela’s RV-1 research reactor. The uranium, which had been unused since the reactor ceased operations in 1991, was securely transported to the U.S. for processing and reuse.
📺 DETAIL: Officials said 13.5 kilograms, or roughly 30 pounds, of uranium enriched above the 20 percent threshold was safely packaged and transported about 100 miles across Venezuela before being shipped by a specialized British nuclear transport vessel to the United States. The material arrived in early May and was transferred to the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, where it will be processed for reuse in advanced nuclear energy programs. The National Nuclear Security Administration described the operation as a significant nonproliferation success, noting the uranium had remained at the reactor since research activities ended in 1991. NNSA Administrator Brandon Williams credited President Donald J. Trump’s leadership for accelerating the mission, saying work that normally would have taken years was completed within months. The operation comes amid renewed diplomatic and commercial ties between Washington and Caracas following Trump’s ouster of Venezuela’s Marxist dictator, Nicolas Maduro.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “The safe removal of all enriched uranium from Venezuela sends another signal to the world of a restored and renewed Venezuela,” said NNSA Administrator Brandon Williams.
🎯 IMPACT: This operation eliminates a potential nuclear security risk and demonstrates renewed international cooperation with Venezuela. The processed uranium is likely to contribute to U.S. energy independence and nuclear innovation.
📺 FLASHBACK: The RV-1 reactor, which supported physics and nuclear research in Venezuela, ceased operations in 1991, leaving behind surplus uranium enriched above 20 percent, a threshold considered significant for nuclear proliferation concerns.
https://thenationalpulse.com/2026/05/08/u-s-completes-transfer-of-venezuelas-enriched-uranium-to-south-carolina/
