31 Research and Development Activities in the Field of Uranium Enrichment

Research and development activities in the field of uranium enrichment in Italy began in 1968, following an initial phase given over to theoretical work and basic research.

It was recognized that it would not be possible to develop a competitive gaseous diffusion plant able to meet the countryfs needs in the 197°fsQ

Clearly, too, a choice could not then be made between gaseous diffusion and ultracentrifugation because the competitiveness of one system vis-a-vis the other was governed not only by their respective technical and economic characteristics but by extraneous factors as well - government agreements, national/ multinational industrial structures, energy costs in general and the energy supplied to the plant in particular, inflation rates etc all random in character and defying quantificationG Accordingly, a completely open attitude would be maintained toward international collaboration where both these systems were concerned.