Another group of activists wearing splash suits and gas-masks
symbolized "a family from the nuclear future": "the farther" was
holding his "mutant baby" with two heads in gas-masks; the second
child was holding a toy - radioactive dolphin.
"This group should remind us about the future we all are going
to face if we don't stop proliferation of nuclear burial grounds in
our country as soon as Rosatom's plans come true," says Anastasia,
a participant of the protest.
Greenpeace demands from the IAEA to abandon plans to build
nuclear burial grounds in the Russian territory and look for
alternative solutions to the problem of radioactive waste.
Two days ago, on 22nd of February, 2005, the working group of
the IAEA issued a report "Multilateral Approaches to the Nuclear
Fuel Cycle". It describes Russia as an option for international
nuclear burial ground. In all, nine such grounds are going to be
constructed: two in North America, one in South America, two in
Western and Central Europe and the other five in Russia, South and
South-Eastern Asia and China.
Unfortunately, the Russian government backed up the IAEA's
initiative. The officials don't seem to be worried that Russia,
according to the project, is going to become an international
nuclear dump.
"In Russia there are already tens of thousands of tons of
radioactive waste from domestic nuclear power plants, military
reactors and naval bases. All this waste is literally "leaking"
without proper control and physical security," says Vladimir
Chouprov, coordinator of Greenpeace Russia energy unit. "We already
have a burial ground nearby - the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
Tons of radioactive scrap metal, let alone polluted agricultural
products, are sent to our country."
The IAEA, though taking refuge in ideas of nuclear
non-proliferation and support of peaceful atom, does not agree to
stop absurd projects of Rosatom to construct a nuclear power plant
in Iran and to sell floating nuclear power plants (with weapons
uranium aboard) to South-Eastern Asia. Instead, it connives at the
plans of the Russian nuclear industry to transform the country into
the nuclear dump.
"In the next few years we risk to have train loads of dangerous
nuclear waste coming to Russia under the cover of nuclear
proliferation prevention," Vladimir Chouprov said. "This will be
the problem for our children to solve."
Additional information
1. In May 2005 a conference on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty will be held in New York. In June 2005 an international
conference on Multilateral Technical and Organizational Approaches
to Nuclear Fuel Cycle to Strengthen Non-Proliferation Regime will
be held in Moscow. Most probably, the IAEA's idea to create an
international burial ground in Russia will be further discussed at
these conferences.
2. From 1990-s Rosatom (Minatom) has carried out an active
policy to import foreign spent nuclear fuel (SNF) for storage,
reprocessing and disposal:
• On July 16, 1997 the RF government on the initiative of
Minatom passed a regulation on import of certain amount of spent
nuclear fuel from the Hungarian nuclear power plant Paksh: "To
express our good will and to meet the appeal of the Hungarian
government, to import as an exception SNF from Paksh nuclear power
plant at the amount of 3550 spent fuel assemblies during the
"transition period" on previous conditions, which means without
later return of solid radioactive waste and products of
reprocessing to the Hungarian Republic". The regulation of the
government of the Russian Federation, in compliance with which this
decision was made, was revoked by the resolution of the Supreme
Court from February 26, 2002.
• In September 1998 a secret Protocol on Intentions was signed
between Minatom, the Swiss company Electrizitatagesellschaft and
the German company Internexco, according to which the Swiss party
expressed a desire to export 2000 tons of Swiss SNF to Russia "for
reprocessing without later return". Radioactive waste produced as a
result of reprocessing was suggested to dispose in Russia. The
Russian party in the person of Minatom emphasized that such spent
nuclear fuel management could be carried out "on condition that
certain amendments are introduced into the Russian
legislation."
• On October 21, 1998 representatives of the Russian Scientific
Center Kurchatovsky Institute in cooperation with the Asia Tat
Trading Co. Ltd. (a partner of The Thaipower company) signed a
multilateral agreement about their intention to create an
international radioactive waste storage ground on the Simushir
Island (Sakhalin region).
• In late 1990-s active consultations were initiated with
business circles in the United States about possible commercial
disposal of American spent nuclear fuel in Russia. As a result the
Nonproliferation Trust (NPT) was established in the U.S. NPT
proposed a project on disposal of 6000 tons of American SNF from
Taiwan in Russia. So called Minatom Development Trust was formed to
carry out control over the project. A top-ranking official from the
CIA was proposed as the trustee (quoted from the text of the
appendix to the Russian-American draft agreement).
• On January 31, 2000 the U.S. Department of Energy issued the
report "Technical Framework to Facilitate Foreign Spent Fuel
Storage and Geologic in Russia" about organization of the burial
ground for American SNF. The report states that the Russian
legislation has to be changed to enable such disposal ground: "The
Russian government has to amend a number of laws and to enter into
an agreement with the U.S. government in order to provide creation
of the disposal ground for SNF from Taiwan." It's noteworthy that
there is certain discord between Rosatom and the U.S.
administration about organization of the burial ground in the
Russian territory. The U.S. administration refuses to send American
SNP to Rosatom for two reasons: construction of a nuclear power
plant in Iran and plans of Rosatom to reprocess SNP instead of its
disposal, which will result in production of 200 tons of plutonium.
Rosatom officials are holding talks with the U.S. administration on
the issue of the nuclear power plant in Iran and reprocessing
SNF.