Venezuela dismantles and retires the RV-1 Experimental Reactor with appropriate safety protocols

Published at: 07/05/2026 01:50 PM

The Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, through an official statement, reported that the nuclear fuel from the RV-1 Experimental Reactor of the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research (IVIC), designed by Dr. Humberto Fernández-Morán, was extracted with appropriate safety protocols.

Below is the full text of the statement:

The Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela reports that the RV-1 Experimental Reactor of the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research (IVIC), designed by Dr. Humberto Fernández-Morán, ended its operating cycle in 1991. Subsequently, in 1997, together with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), its definitive closure was decided, and operations began to partially remove spent nuclear fuel and provide technical custody of the remaining material, in accordance with applicable international safety protocols.

This transition allowed us to move towards a new phase of scientific, technological and health restructuring, later materialized in the Gamma Ray Sterilization Plant (Pegamma), aimed at peaceful applications with a high social impact.

The material that was not extracted during operations carried out in the late 1990s has since remained under safe cooling, control and storage conditions, waiting for the international actors responsible for its origin, reception and safeguards to adopt the corresponding measures. Durante repeatedly informed the IAEA of the need to remove the disused sources and materials that were still in the country.

The military attack carried out on January 3, 2026 in the immediate vicinity of the IVIC facilities, just 50 meters from the old reactor, objectively increased the level of risk and confirmed the urgency of carrying out an operation that Venezuela had been requesting for a long time.

Consequently, between April 18 and 29, 2026, a safe operation was carried out to contain, extract, land transport and shipment of the remaining nuclear material from the IVIC to the Puerto Cabello docks. The Ministry of People's Power for Science and Technology and the competent national authorities, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), attached to the United States Department of Energy (DOE), as well as the United Kingdom, responsible for the management of specialized maritime transport, participated in this operation. The IAEA monitored the safeguards, carried out the corresponding technical verification, institutionally accompanied the process and provided training to national personnel.

All activities were carried out in accordance with the highest international standards of physical safety, radiation protection, transport and control of nuclear material, a performance expressly recognized by the participating technical teams.

With this operation, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela reaffirms its historic commitment to science for peace, the protection of the population, responsible international cooperation and the fulfillment of its obligations deriving from the Treaty of Tlatelolco, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the Safeguards Agreement signed with the United Nations.

Caracas, May 7, 2026.

Mazo News Team