Nuclear Cities Initiative

Under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Nuclear Cities Initiative (NCI), part of the Global Initiatives for Proliferation Prevention (GIPP), FRAEC administered three nonproliferation projects – two International Development Centers (IDCs) and a business incubator. By facilitating economic development in two of Russia’s closed nuclear cities, Zheleznogorsk and Snezhinsk, FRAEC helped the U.S. and Russia create a more secure future for us all.

Snezhinsk and Zheleznogorsk were established as part of the Soviet defense program and have been “closed cities” (called ZATOS by the Russians). They have been shielded from many of the cultural and economic changes that have swept across Russia over the past fifteen years, but they possess tremendous intellectual potential. As Russia continues to downsize its nuclear arsenal, the need to secure a robust economy within the closed nuclear cities has only become more pressing.

Snezhinsk

Snezhinsk is home to the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Technical Physics (VNIITF), one of Russia’s elite nuclear science research facilities. The comprehensive downsizing of Russia’s nuclear complex has created an uncertain future for facilities such as VNIITF.

Zheleznogorsk

The Mining and Chemical Combine (MCC) is a major plutonium production facility operating at Zheleznogorsk under the direction of Russia’s Agency of Atomic Energy. MCC foresees significant workforce reductions over the next few years as it shuts down MCC’s remaining nuclear reactor.