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What Is To Be Done With Nuclear Waste?
The problem of
importing radioactive
waste to the Russian
Federation
IDL-102
Yulia Kharchenko
Main ProceduresStorage - the placement of
waste in a facility with an intent that waste will retrieved at a later time.
Disposal - the emplacement of waste in an approved, specified facility without the intention of retrieval.
Processing - reducing the waste volume for storage or disposal; converting waste to a more «stable» form.
Reprocessing Spent Nuclear Fuel
Reasons to recover unused uranium and plutonium in the spent fuel
elements; to reduce the volume of material to be disposed of as high-level
waste.
Uranium + Plutonium mixed oxide fuel (MOX fuel)
compact insoluble radioactive solids
storage and disposal
Reprocessing In Different Countries United Kingdom Sellafield - 1500 t/yr;
THORP comissioned in 1994, MOX fuel plant comissioned in 2001.
United States No civil reprocessing plants now operating; three have been closed.
France Marcoule - 400 t/yr; La Hague - two plants 800 t/yr each.
India Tarapur - 100 t/yr; also in Kalpakkam and Trombay.
Japan One 100 t/yr plant operating; most spent fuel reprocessed in Europe;
a plant in Rokkasho is being built.
Russia Ozersk (Chelyabinsk) - 400 t/yr; a larger plant is being built in Krasnoyarsk.
Importing Nuclear Waste to Russia
Supporters Renewal of nuclear
industry with the money received;
Eliminating the consequences of nuclear catastrophes;
Preventing future catastrophes;
Stimulating Russian economy.
Opponents Technical difficulties for
reprocessing foreign spent fuel;
Old age and bad condition of Russian reprocessing facilities;
Possibility for corruption among politicians and nuclear authorities;
Danger of terrorist acts.
Minatom - the Russian Ministry on Nuclear Energy
One of the primary officially stated functions - “to ensure nuclear and radiation safety of plants and environmental protection”;
“The International Atomic Energy Agency recommendations and forecasts are taken into consideration”;
“The present-day Russian procedures and techniques for spent nuclear fuel management are quite competitive with the world’s best similar techniques and procedures”;
“Economic examination and public consideration are applied widely”;
“Half a century experience in spent nuclear fuel management confirms high level of safety”.
www.minatom.ru
Nuclear Waste reprocessing and Storage Program
14 European and Asian countries
21 tons of SNF
within 10 years
Russian Federation+ US $20 Billion
50 years later
Signing the Billallowing the import of foreing spent nuclear fuel to
Russia
Autumn 2000 - call for a national referendum to block the proposal to import foreign SNF to the country; 2.5 million signatures submitted;
The Central Election Comission turns down the petition; 600 000 signatures claimed to be invalid;
December 20th, 2000 - Russian Duma approves first reading of the amendment to Law on Environmental Protection;
December 21st, 2000 - Greenpeace anf Ecodefense condemn Russian deputies for voting in favor of a project opposed by 93.5% of population;
July 11th, 2001 - President’s signing the bill allowing import of SNF to the Russian Federation
Public ReactionMinatom refuses to accept the cornerstone of non-
proliferation policy: commercial spent nuclear fuel must never be reprocessed;
Yabloko party: “Russia has opted for the same path as third world countries”;
President Putin’s “political mistake”;Negative consequences for Russia’s security and long-
term economic development prospects;Minatom contradicts to one of its basic principles:
ensuring nuclear and environmental safety;Russia is being turned into “world’s nuclear dump site”.
Mayak Nuclear Reprocessing Plant
Built more than half a century ago; The most radioactively contaminated
place on Earth; Equipment restructuring and cleaning
up the area is needed; Previous catastrophes:
1957 - explosion of a storage tank;
1967 - Lake Karachay drying up, transport of radioactive sediments with the wind;
Present storage facilities filled to capacity.
Reprocessing at Mayak Violations
Minatom does not return wastes
Wastes from reprocessing are discharged into water objects (River Techa, lake Karachay)
Since 1995 wastes from reprocessing SNF are to be returned to the country - supplier
Violation
Water Code and Law on Environment Protection forbid discharging radioactive waste to water objects
Legislation
April 26th, 200216 years after Chernobyl
“Radioactive waste - No, thank you”
“Danger! Do not import”
“Motherland is against import of nuclear waste”
ConclusionsNuclear authorities prevent the
public from inspecting their activities;
SNF is not being returned. The problem of utilization of radioactive waste is shifted to next generations;
The safety of citizens and the environment is sacrificed, economic profit becomes a proirity;
Russian government risks to turn Russia into a nuclear waste site.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR
ATTENTION