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[cdn-nucl-l] Agreement reached on dealing with nuclear waste in Russia's Kola peninsula
Posted in the Helsingin Sanomat on March 25, 2003 and at:
http://www.helsinki-hs.net/news.asp?id=20030325IE12
Adam
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Agreement reached on dealing with nuclear waste in Russia's Kola peninsula
EU and western nations to provide billions of euros of aid to Russia
The four-year negotiations on an international agreement that will solve
the Russian nuclear waste problem were concluded in Moscow on Sunday. Plans
call for the agreement to be signed before the next G8 summit, which will be
held in June.
According to the new agreement, dubbed the Multilateral Nuclear
Environmental Programme in the Russian Federation, the EU Commission and
willing nations will provide financial assistance for improvements in the
security of Russian nuclear power plants. The funding will also be directed
at dismantling the nuclear reactors of decommissioned nuclear submarines,
and at furthering plans for storage of spent nuclear fuel.
The agreement covers all of Russia, but the first steps will be realised
in Murmansk and elsewhere on the Kola peninsula. After the agreement has
been signed, the work will begin quickly, as plans already exist and the
necessary funding for the projects has been put aside.
The MNEPR programme will require billions of euros of funding over the
course of several years. The programme was first initiated four years ago,
but the final agreement was reached within a couple of months after Russian
Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov decided to speed up the process.
The final problems that were solved in the negotiations concerned the
responsibility of the donor nations if any nuclear accidents occur during
the projects, and whether or not Russia could levy any customs charges or
taxes on the donations.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is one of the
largest sources of financing in the programme. Norway also has plans to
invest considerably in removing the nuclear waste threats of the Kola
peninsula.
From Finland's point of view, the most important target for improvements
is the Polyarnyi Zor nuclear power plant in Kola. The old power plant cannot
be renovated much, but its fire safety needs to be improved.
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Helsingin Sanomat