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Stop import of nuclear waste!
On January 23 2008 the «MV Schouwenbank» ship with 1000 tons of radioactive waste came to Saint Petersburg. More than 10 years nuclear material - uranium hexafluoride UF6 - is imported to Russia according the contracts signed by Minatom (now Rosatom) enterprises and Western European companies.
Waste uranium hexafluoride is a by-product of enrichment of natural uranium and will not be used for commercial purpose in nearest future. As result it is not used for wide commercial purposes anywhere.
There are great amounts of waste uranium hexafluoride accumulated worldwide. Only in Russia total volume of WUHF is calculated in hundred thousands of tons (about 700 000 tons). In Russia there is still no developed industrial scheme of full utilization of UF6 and cost of final dump of depleted uranium is quite high.
To avoid high expenses of storage and utilization of Waste Uranium Hexafluoride Western European companies send UF6 to Russia. But even with taking into account expenses for transportation such contracts are profitable for them as after re-enrichment at Rosatom enterprises they receive back only up to 10% of total imported raw material and up to 98% of the material is left in Russia for storage which violets Federal Law "On Protection of Environment". Therefore UF6 transportation to Russia means solution of expensive problem of final dump of depleted uranium for abroad states.
Waste Uranium Hexafluoride of foreign origin is turned into federal property of Russian Federation. JV Tehsnabexport representing Rosatom buys the UF6 for symbolic price USD 0.6 per a kilo. As result the series of storage for Waste Uranium Hexafluoride of foreign origin is created in Russia .
We do not agree with this policy of Russian Government. We consider the Nuclear energy as very dangerous in particular because of huge amount of hazardous waste. To use our country as dumpsite for foreign radioactive waste is irresponsible.
That’s why we are applying to Dutch Ministers of Environment and Finances with demand to stop import of radioactive waste into Russia. You can join us, by sending this letter to the ministers to.
The Russian Federation is the only country in the world, which commercially accepts Uranium Hexafluoride from abroad.
Waste uranium hexafluoride is a by-product of enrichment of natural uranium and will not be used for commercial purpose in nearest future. As result it is not used for wide commercial purposes anywhere.
There are great amounts of waste uranium hexafluoride accumulated worldwide. Only in Russia total volume of WUHF is calculated in hundred thousands of tons (about 700 000 tons). In Russia there is still no developed industrial scheme of full utilization of UF6 and cost of final dump of depleted uranium is quite high.
To avoid high expenses of storage and utilization of Waste Uranium Hexafluoride Western European companies send UF6 to Russia. But even with taking into account expenses for transportation such contracts are profitable for them as after re-enrichment at Rosatom enterprises they receive back only up to 10% of total imported raw material and up to 98% of the material is left in Russia for storage which violets Federal Law "On Protection of Environment". Therefore UF6 transportation to Russia means solution of expensive problem of final dump of depleted uranium for abroad states.
Waste Uranium Hexafluoride of foreign origin is turned into federal property of Russian Federation. JV Tehsnabexport representing Rosatom buys the UF6 for symbolic price USD 0.6 per a kilo. As result the series of storage for Waste Uranium Hexafluoride of foreign origin is created in Russia .
We do not agree with this policy of Russian Government. We consider the Nuclear energy as very dangerous in particular because of huge amount of hazardous waste. To use our country as dumpsite for foreign radioactive waste is irresponsible.
That’s why we are applying to Dutch Ministers of Environment and Finances with demand to stop import of radioactive waste into Russia. You can join us, by sending this letter to the ministers to.
