[cdn-nucl-l] RUSSIA COULD EARN UP TO USD 20 BILLION A YEAR BY STORING NUCLEAR WASTE

["Adam McLean" <adam.mclean@utoronto.ca>]

Posted in the Pravda on July 19, 2002 and at:
http://english.pravda.ru/economics/2002/07/19/32888.html
WOW, look at those projections for nuclear growth!  60% in the US, and
100% in Japan?!  Me thinks the Russians a bit over-optimistic :)

Adam

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RUSSIA COULD EARN UP TO USD 20 BILLION A YEAR BY STORING NUCLEAR WASTE

Russia could earn up to USD 20 billion a year by storing nuclear waste,
according to an announcement made on Friday on Radio-1 by Maxim
Yakovenko, the Russian Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and the
head of the State Environmental Protection Service. 

'It is a colossal business,' he explained. 'Judge for yourselves: it
costs USD two thousand to store just one kilogram of waste'. According
to the deputy minister, there is currently fierce competition between
South-East Asian countries for this business. Bulgaria has also recently
joined the fight. Yakovenko pointed out that most developed countries
are currently increasing the proportion of electricity they receive from
nuclear power stations. According to his figures, the US is planning to
generate 60% of its electricity from nuclear power, and Japan intends to
produce 100% of its electricity by this means. 

In a reply to a question about the dangers involved in this business,
Yakovenko declared that 'the Russian Ministry for Atomic Energy is the
most important ministry in terms of technological development.
Everything connected with nuclear energy in our country has
traditionally had a very high level of safety precautions'. 

C RosBalt