VOA慢速英語：美國準備向其它國家提供核廢料技術

US to Offer Nuclear Waste Technology to Other Countries

美國準備向其它國家提供核廢料技術

The U.S. Department of Energy's nuclear security office is developing a project to help other countries deal with nuclear waste. The information comes from two sources who spoke to the Reuters news agency. They asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue.

美國能源部旗下的核安全部門正在開發(fā)一個項目，以幫助其它國家處理核廢料。這一信息出自路透社的兩個消息來源。由于問題的敏感性，他們要求匿名。

The sources say the plan aims to keep the United States competitive against other countries that are developing their own waste technology. For example, both Russia and France offer services to take care of nuclear waste.

消息人士稱，該計劃旨在使美國保持對其它自行開發(fā)核廢料處理技術國家的競爭力。例如，俄羅斯和法國都提供核廢料處理服務。

Dov Schwartz is the spokesman for the National Nuclear Security Administration. He confirmed the group is thinking about how to help other countries reduce nuclear waste. However, Schwartz did not give details.

多夫·施瓦茨(Dov Schwartz)是美國核安全管理局的發(fā)言人。他證實該機構正在考慮如何幫助其它國家減少核廢料。然而，施瓦茨沒有提供細節(jié)。

The NNSA also declined a Reuters request for an interview with Brent Park, who is leading the effort.

美國核安全管理局還拒絕了路透社對該項目負責人布倫特·帕克(Brent Park)提出的采訪要求。

What would the technology do?

這項技術會怎么做?

The unnamed sources say the technology could involve crushing, heating or sending an electric current through nuclear waste to reduce its size.

這些匿名的消息人士稱，這項技術可能涉及破碎、加熱或向核廢料通電以減小其體積。

The machinery to do so would be put in a "black box" the size of a shipping container. It would be sent to other countries with nuclear energy programs; however, it would remain owned and operated by the United States, the sources said.

消息人士稱，這些機器將被裝在一個集裝箱大小的“黑匣子”中，然后運送到擁有核能項目的其它國家。然而，它仍將由美國擁有和經(jīng)營。

The sources did not name countries to which the service would be offered. They also did not say where the waste would be stored after it is run through the equipment. But they said they were worried the processes could increase the risk of dangerous materials reaching militant groups or nations unfriendly to the United States.

這些消息人士并未指明可能向哪些國家提供這項服務，也沒有說明核廢料通過該設備處理后將會儲存在哪里。但是他們表示擔心這些過程會增加危險材料流入激進組織或對美國不友好國家的風險。

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter banned nuclear waste reprocessing in 1977. The reprocessing opens pure amounts of uranium and plutonium, both of which could be used to make nuclear bombs.

美國前總統(tǒng)卡特于1977年禁止核廢料再處理，因為這會釋放出高純度的鈾和钚，兩者都可用于制造核彈。

NNSA spokesperson Dov Schwartz said the plans under consideration do not involve reprocessing. But he did not say what technologies could be used.

美國核安全管理局的施瓦茨表示，正在考慮中的計劃不涉及再處理，但他沒有透露會采用何種技術。

Concerns

擔憂

The government of U.S. President Donald Trump has made promoting nuclear technology abroad a high priority. The U.S. Energy Secretary, Rick Perry, visited Saudi Arabia this month for talks on a nuclear energy deal with the kingdom. And the American business Westinghouse hopes to sell nuclear power technology to countries from Saudi Arabia to India.

美國總統(tǒng)川普將推廣核技術出口作為重中之重。美國能源部部長里克·佩里(Rick Perry)本月訪問了沙特，同沙特國王就一項核能協(xié)議進行了會談。美國西屋公司希望將核電技術賣給從沙特到印度等國家。

But a top arms control officer during the Obama administration questions the direction of the Trump government. Thomas Countryman said the U.S. should improve its ability to get rid of its own nuclear waste before helping other countries.

但是奧巴馬政府期間的高級武器管制官員托馬斯·科斯特曼(Thomas Countryman)質(zhì)疑了川普政府的發(fā)展方向?？扑固芈硎?，美國應該在幫助其它國家之前提高自身處理核廢料的能力。

A nuclear expert at the Union of Concerned Scientists also expressed some doubt about the NNSA plan. Edwin Lyman said NNSA should not be focused so much on reducing the size of nuclear waste. Instead, it should be concerned about the dangers of nuclear waste that make it hard to store.

憂思科學家聯(lián)盟的核專家埃德溫·萊曼(Edwin Lyman)也對美國核安全管理局的計劃表示了質(zhì)疑。萊曼說，美國核管理安全局不應該如此關注減少核廢料的體積，相反它應該關注核廢料難以儲存的危險。

Lyman said even a small amount of nuclear waste gives off radioactivity and heat. It "remains dangerous for hundreds of thousands of years," he said.

萊曼表示，即使是少量核廢料也會產(chǎn)生放射性和熱量。他說，這種危險會持續(xù)數(shù)十萬年。

I'm Susan Shand.

蘇珊·珊德報道。