Rosatom

We, representatives of non-government organizations, are writing to you in regard to the potential danger for present and future generations of the Krasnoyarsk Region in implementing the strategy of the transfer of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from Central European countries and the European part of Russia to Siberia (Federal State Unitary Enterprise Mining and Chemical Plant, Zheleznogorsk, Krasnoyarsk Region).

The below-signed Russian and Norwegian environmental NGOs oppose increased electricity trade between Russia and western countries, as long as common environmental and safety standards are absent. We urge the Finnish government to stop future import of nuclear electricity from the new Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant-2 (LNPP-2) in Russia. This import will be facilitated by the new power cable between Sosnovy Bor (St. Petersburg region, Russia) and Vyborg (Russia).

In preparing spent nuclear fuel (SNF) for purposes of transporting it to Zheleznogorsk (Krasnoyarsk region, Siberia, Russia), Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant (LNPP) cut into two parts one of the 40,000 fuel assemblies. Because of a lack of preparation for the difficult and dangerous operation, depressurization of the assembly and contamination of equipment took place.
This made it impossible for continuation of the work without risk of contamination of the environment and personnel.

Baltic Newsletter # 106

On 9 December 2009 Rosenergoatom (Russian NPPs operator) gave notice of the granting by Rostekhnadzor (Russian NPPs regulator) of the license for the third energy bloc, thereby extending the life of the Leningrad NPP until 31 January 2025. This is 15 years longer than the designers of these reactors planned.
The decision was taken behind closed doors, without public hearings, without an analysis of the possible alternative solutions of the energy problem. An environmental impact assessment, required by law, was not conducted.