Australia: The watchdog is pleased with the engagement so far demonstrated by the United States, Britain and Australia on the AUKUS Coalition's plan to provide Australia with nuclear submarines, according to a report by the UN's nuclear watchdog seen by Reuters .
In addition to the five permanent (P5) members of the United Nations Security Council, also known as nuclear-weapon states: the United States, Russia, China, France and Britain, any of the other parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty No, which includes Australia currently has nuclear powered submarines.
Nuclear submarines present a proliferation risk because they operate outside the range of IAEA inspectors and can stay at sea longer than other submarines. Therefore, special agreements must be made with the IAEA to allow their highly enriched fuels to leave dry land frequently.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said in a confidential report to member states on Friday that it was "satisfied with their level of engagement" based on technical consultations and exchanges with AUKUS parties so far.
Such technical discussions are likely to go on for some time. The agency is aware that AUKUS is in its early stages and the parties involved have not yet decided how it will develop.
Australia has said that even though this is the beginning of a long process, the nuclear reactors for its submarines will mandatorily be handed over in a sealed box, to reduce the risk of proliferation.
According to the report, Australia informed the IAEA that it would receive fully assembled, welded power units.
These power units are designed to make the removal of nuclear material very challenging and impossible, rendering the power unit and submarine useless.
Additionally, the material would be in an unusable condition for the production of nuclear weapons without additional chemical processing, which Australia lacks and will not pursue.
After the previous administration canceled a multi-billion-dollar contract with a French company to build diesel-powered submarines in favor of the AUKUS agreement, Australia's centre-left Labor Party turned to France in an effort to mend the rift. sought to build a closer relationship with.
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