OPCW Delegation Visits U.S. Chemical Weapons Destruction Facilities

The facility located at Pueblo will destroy 2,371 metric tonnes of mustard agent by neutralization, followed by bio-treatment of the resulting hydrolysate

Pueblo Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plant (U.S. Army image)

At the invitation of the government of the United States of America, a delegation from the OPCW Executive Council visited the Pueblo Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plant in Colorado on 2 June 2009. The delegation comprised the Chairperson of the Council, Ambassador Jorge Lomónaco Tonda, together with a representative from each of the other regional groups, a representative from the Russian Federation, and the OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter.

The visit took place in pursuance of a decision taken by the Conference of the States Parties at its 11th session in December 2006 on visits by the representatives of the Executive Council to chemical weapons destruction facilities (CWDF) and CWDF construction sites. The purpose of the visits is to “consider progress and efforts towards achieving complete destruction in accordance with the provisions of the Convention, and any measures being taken to overcome possible problems in a destruction programmes in accordance with Part IV (A), paragraph 26 of the Verification Annex”.

Two similar visits were previously conducted by the Council, one to the Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in the US state of Alabama in October 2007, and the second to the Shchuchye Chemical Weapons Destruction Facility in the Kurgansk region of the Russian Federation in September 2008.

During the visit to Pueblo, US officials briefed the OPCW delegation on the overall implementation of the US chemical weapons destruction programme, including in particular details on the Pueblo Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plant and the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (ACWA) programme. The visit also included a tour of the construction site of the future facility as well as of two chemical weapons storage igloos.

The chemical weapons destruction facility located at Pueblo will destroy 2,371 metric tonnes of mustard agent stored in different types of projectiles and mortars by neutralization, followed by bio-treatment of the resulting hydrolysate. In December 2006, the US was granted an extension to complete the destruction of its Category 1 chemical weapons by 29 April 2012. To date, the US has destroyed a total of 16,958.5 metric tonnes, or more than 61% of its declared stockpile.

The OPCW delegation will also visit today the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in the state of Oregon.

OPCW Press Release 06/2009, distributed 4 June 2009