UN nuclear watchdog reports finding of lost Libyan uranium

UN inspectors visiting southern Libya found drums containing natural uranium reported missing earlier this month in the chaos-stricken country. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that a "relatively small amount of UOC (Uranium ore concentrate) was still unaccounted for," but there was no immediate radiological risk at the location. The material dates back to the rule of late dictator Moammar Gadhafi, who stored thousands of barrels of so-called yellowcake uranium for a once-planned uranium conversion facility. Estimates put the Libyan stockpile at some 1,000 metric tons of yellowcake uranium under Gadhafi. The IAEA said its director-general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, informed member states Friday about the findings of the visit.

Natural uranium cannot immediately be used for energy production or bomb fuel, but each ton of natural uranium can be refined to 5.6 kilograms (12 pounds) of weapons-grade material over time. Libya is in chaos following the NATO-backed uprising that ousted Gadhafi, with rival administrations in the east and west backed by armed groups. Following the IAEA's revelations that 2.5 tons of natural uranium had gone missing, the Libyan National Army (LNA) claimed that Chadian separatist fighters attempted to steal the drums. LNA provided no evidence for the accusation.