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The Russian legislation prohibits import of foreign nuclear materials for storage: according to paragraph 3 of article 48 of the federal law “On Environmental Protection”, import of nuclear waste and foreign nuclear materials to the Russian Federation for the purpose of its storage or disposal is prohibited.
According to the law, nuclear materials are the materials containing or capable to reproduce splitting (fissile) nuclear chemicals.
Waste uranium hexafluoride is a nuclear material, because it contains fissile material – uranium-235. Besides that, uranium-238, which is the principal element of waste uranium hexafluoride, can reproduce fissile chemical – plutonium.
In case of the indicated contracts most of imported waste uranium hexafluoride is left in Russia in defiance of the law “On Environmental Protection”.
For example, under the contract #60111 with Eurodif company (France) 13887 tons of UF6 enriched 0.3% with uranium-235 (41.6 tons of uranium-235) were imported in Russia. After the terms and conditions of the contract about additional enrichment of waste uranium hexafluoride had been performed, 228.8 tons of uranium with natural enrichment of 0.711% with uranium-235 (1.6 tons of uranium-235) were brought back to the supplier company. The rest of waste uranium hexafluoride at the amount of 13658.2 tons enriched 0.29% with uranium-235 (40 tons of uranium-235) was left for storage. As a result in the Russian Federation 98% of the initially imported foreign waste uranium hexafluoride is stored.
According to the law, nuclear materials are the materials containing or capable to reproduce splitting (fissile) nuclear chemicals.
Waste uranium hexafluoride is a nuclear material, because it contains fissile material – uranium-235. Besides that, uranium-238, which is the principal element of waste uranium hexafluoride, can reproduce fissile chemical – plutonium.
In case of the indicated contracts most of imported waste uranium hexafluoride is left in Russia in defiance of the law “On Environmental Protection”.
For example, under the contract #60111 with Eurodif company (France) 13887 tons of UF6 enriched 0.3% with uranium-235 (41.6 tons of uranium-235) were imported in Russia. After the terms and conditions of the contract about additional enrichment of waste uranium hexafluoride had been performed, 228.8 tons of uranium with natural enrichment of 0.711% with uranium-235 (1.6 tons of uranium-235) were brought back to the supplier company. The rest of waste uranium hexafluoride at the amount of 13658.2 tons enriched 0.29% with uranium-235 (40 tons of uranium-235) was left for storage. As a result in the Russian Federation 98% of the initially imported foreign waste uranium hexafluoride is stored.
