The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced this Thursday that it will oversee the agreement by which Australia will acquire a fleet of nuclear submarines under the AUKUS security agreement signed with the United States and the United Kingdom.
The agreement, signed on August 5 in Washington, establishes a framework that allows the transfer of technology and nuclear materials for the development of nuclear-powered submarines with conventional weapons.
IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi highlighted that “the agreement reiterates the commitment previously made by these countries to establish the highest standards of nonproliferation in the acquisition of conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarines in Australia”.
A statement from the UN nuclear agency said that under the terms of the agreement, “Australia is obliged to use the transferred nuclear material exclusively for naval nuclear propulsion, without enriching or reprocessing any nuclear material received”.
The agreement provides that Australia will be responsible for the management, storage and disposal of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste resulting from the transferred nuclear propulsion units.
The IAEA reminds that any transfer of nuclear material from the United Kingdom or the United States to Australia will be subject to the application of international standards and, in addition, a specific agreement with Australia that must be negotiated before any transfer of material takes place.
Grossi also indicated he would report the situation to the IAEA Board of Governors, the agency’s decision-making body.
In 2021, Australia established the AUKUS security treaty with the US and the UK, which includes the acquisition and development of nuclear submarines and aims to strengthen the strategic presence of its partners in the Indo-Pacific region.
On that date, China countered that plans to acquire nuclear-powered submarines would “only fuel an arms race” and “harm regional peace and stability”.
The plan includes the delivery of three US Virginia-class submarines in the early 2030s, with the possibility of acquiring two more, giving the United Kingdom time to deliver its first SSN-AUKUS submarine later that decade.
