1a"rtia1 infonnation, they are subJect to an e1ement of uncertailty. 76./.Technical requirernents are discuss€d. in ALbert lrohlstetter et aL., l@!36Tovard lJife in a l{ucleer Arneal Crovd?, Pan Heuristics, Report preparEd-FIr theU.S. Ar!0s Control and Disalns$.ent Ageocy, 22 April f9?6, pp. 22-l+5i Office of Technology Assessnent, U.S. Congress, Nucleer proliferation aud Safeguarals(ilev York: Praeger, 19??), pp. f39-ll+---r\/ 3, /)10? English Annex PaFe 22 ll4. Assuring that the pilot plant hes the capacity indicated by South Africa for tbe prototype eodule - 10 tons Sw/year - its maxi[um production cou].tl be close to 50 kilogrannes of high entiched uraniun per yeer provided it rgas built and optimized.for that purpose. Parts of thu plant hed bcen in operation since April L.)lJ " but fu11 eapacity alllarcntly qes not reachcd until l.farch 1977. 7T/ Such.a dclay woulttnot be out of l.i.ne with the cxperic,nce of other countrics r".Ilch ha.vc buiit o.rld operatecl enriclfflent facilitics" lfone the 1ess, assuning fu11 operation of thc plantfron trfarch 1)77 for producin;, hig,h enriched uraniurn, tabfe 2 estjmates thequantities of ]rirrh enriched uranitrn that South Africa could have produced by August 1977 and Septenber ItT? respectively. ft al-so cstir:rates the quantities that could be prodrrccd until 19,15, vhen thc larger 2OO-IO0 tons SlllJ/year frcj.lity is to be comDleted. Teble 2 Estilxated potential ?rottuction By March 197? March-August 197? August-Dec enb et L9'lT r97B January-Jun e 1979Total- as at 15 ke 21 ks 50 kcAugust 197? Min-}9?9 End of 1980 End of f98435 ks rzo Kg 203 ks )+03 kg l+5. Dependiag oa the design sophisticationo the mininun amount of high enriched uraaium reguired for 6 26 kiloton device nay range in practice fron 15 to 25 kilogrannes. Consequently, by August, 1977 South Africa coufrt trave had. sufficieDt naterial to nake one or, at the nost, tvo fission bonbs. In tufn, a8ain depenalin8
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing a specific topic related to nuclear energy and technology, specifically the production of high-enriched uranium in South Africa. The language used is technical and references specific reports and documents, suggesting a focus on scientific and technological aspects. The text also mentions the potential use of this material for military purposes, which implies a connection to national security.

**Category**
Science and technology, Industry