The US has removed enriched uranium from Venezuela

Thanks for the context.

3 MW is about the production of 1 offshore wind turbine

At that point *we* are doing *them* a favor by taking the dangerous material off their hands.

20% is generally accepted enrichment limit for civil uses. This can include nuclear research, medical device manufacturing, medical research and potentially energy generation.

"Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) is more than 20 percent U-235. It’s used primarily in naval propulsion reactors, nuclear weapons, and some research reactors." https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/uranium-enrichment-explained "To get an explosive chain reaction, uranium-235 needs to be concentrated significantly more than the levels we use in nuclear reactors for making power or medicines. Technically, a nuclear weapon can be made with as little as 20% uranium-235 (known as “highly enriched uranium”), but the more the uranium is enriched, the smaller and lighter the weapon can be. Countries with nuclear weapons tend to use about 90% enriched, “weapons-grade” uranium. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran has enriched large quantities of uranium to 60%. It’s actually easier to go from an enrichment of 60% to 90% than it is to get to that initial 60%. That’s because there’s less and less uranium-238 to get rid of." https://research.anu.edu.au/research-innovation-news/what-is-uranium-enrichment-and-how-is-it-used-for-nuclear-bombs-a

5% is needed but 5-20% is the standard range for medical and civilian use where 20% is the primary enrichment used for any kind of medical or scientific research, not weapons research. Higher enrichment offers higher efficiency and energy production though as well so it’s still preferred when there’s enough demand to fill and the reactor can use it. Spent rods from higher enrichment can be down-cycled and reused a number of times to reduce nuclear waste as well. 20% wouldn’t be near enough for any serious weapon, 90% is weapons grade and IAEA doesn’t raise proliferation objections until 60%. In your other comment you mention “nuclear sub can run on this” when nuclear subs just use a miniature fission reactor, it uses the same fuel as civilian reactors scaled down, it doesn’t need or use special grade fuel. The main point of a nuclear sub is that it can remain stealth and underwater indefinitely because it doesn’t need to refuel so long as they have supplies for it and nuclear power gives off a smaller sonar signature than traditional engines.

The latest reactor technologies will use up to 20% (but as low as 5%).

20% is pretty typical for small research reactors

And way, way short of what is needed for practical weapon use. 35% is a bare-ish minimum, and the weapon would be **huge** and impractical to deliver by missile or aircraft. Real weapons sit above 70%.

Sure. My point was only that a small quantity of not particularly highly enriched uranium by itself isn’t as scandalous, provided the country has power plants, naval vessels, particle accelerators, or cancer patients.

That just seems like a desperate justification for US imperialism to present it as anything other than exploitation

This is someone who understands our position as venezuelans very well. We dont care about oil, you can take it for free. Just help us have real elections, freedom, democracy, etc and then rest is yours as you please. We have endured way too much hardship already. Just look up the case of Victor Hugo Quero Navas.

Both can be true. The lives of average Venezuelans could improve by 100% or some other metric and that would be good, and it could also be bad that the U.S. is effectively looting the place as a trade off. Consider for a second that we could have helped the situation in Venezuela and maintained that help without looting anything quite easily. The cost would have amounted to a rounding error in our budget.

Most of the planet, actually.

I’m from the US. Most of my country is also sick of our BS.

Saying that the US shouldn't steal resources from Venezuela is not a black and white statement. It is however really weird to criticize the previous government for doing it and use that as a defense of the US doing it.

Probably cost more to transport it and dispose of it

Increase that by 600%

It’s good meta data

It’s becoming quite clear that America worked with her to get rid of Maduro and to work alongside America and their interests. I don’t know what’s a better word for her than being a puppet.

Extreme leftists think anything Western countries do is "colonialism". They speak a different language than everyone else. They like to make up their own definitions for many words.

Considering the reactor was shutdown 35 years ago.

Dunno, but probably longer than those 2 that didnt get the joke and downvoted, lolz.

shelf life is around 700m years, so it’s got some time, but this was actually irradiated in a test reactor, so it’ll have samarium which is nasty, it’ll be harder to use again.