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Last of defused Russian nuclear bombs headed to U.S. energy plants

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Defused bomb-grade uranium is bound for the United States, ending an agreement that found commercial uses for one-time Russian nuclear weapons, officials said.

The pact, signed 20 years ago, helped reduce Russia's inventory of nuclear-tipped missiles and eased U.S. government fears that nuclear material might end up with militant groups, The Washington Post reported Thursday.

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It also spurred development of a process that allowed highly enriched uranium to be used as fuel for nuclear power plants, officials said.

About 40 containers were loaded onto the Russian freighter M.V. Atlantic Navigator in St. Petersburg, Russia, Thursday, the final shipment of fissile material left from 20,000 nuclear bombs, they said.

The contents of the containers will be turned into nuclear fuel.

The agreement was signed at a time when the Russian state was foundering, providing jobs for highly-trained nuclear technicians, and, over time it pumped $17 billion into the country's economy, the report said. The recycled weaponry now provides 50 percent of the output of U.S. nuclear power plants, representing 10 percent of all electricity produced in the U.S. officials said.

The end of the program should not have any major effect on U.S. electricity prices, said U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz.

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"It is the most successful non-proliferation program to date," said Philip Sewell, a senior vice president at USEC, the company that receives the fuel.

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