In 1994, a band of criminals threatened to blow up a nuclear power plant if their friends weren't released immediately from a Lithuanian jail. Though the power plant, Ignalina, provided 87 percent of Lithuania's electricity, the government was forced to shut down the plant's Chernobyl-style reactors to search for explosives. To forestall future extortion attempts, the government sought international help. The idea is to protect weapons-useable nuclear materials against theft, extortion, or physical takeovers by criminals or terrorists, both at nuclear sites and during transport to other locations.
Projects are ongoing.
The name sounds bureaucratic, but the emotions and precautions involved are complex enough to fill the pages of novelists. Achievements At the Lithuanian power station, Sandia engineers led construction of an inspection pit area somewhat similar to that of a 10-minute oil change bay. Incoming vehicles must drive through the bay, where they are checked from below for bombs. In addition, sensors detect intruders entering the area on foot. Video monitors, cameras, and an upgraded central alarm warn of intruders in protected areas within the plant.