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.

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