Disposal of Nuclear Waste in Russia: Fiction What?

Rosatom may change the approaches for organization of the national (international) nuclear waste repository. Novaya Zemlya have chance to be the repository of the nuclear waste.

Elena Komleva (Institute for Philosophy and Political Science, TU Dortmund, Germany)
Victor Samarov, Vitaly Nepomnutshy (LNT PM Inc., Garden Grove, CA, USA)

Abstract. There is considered an emblematic fact of going back to the "national idea" of a nuclear final storage facility on Novaya Zemlya made by the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "National Operator for Radioactive Waste Management" as a result of a probably exaggerated sence of specialness, self-sufficience and priority of Russian atomic branch. The self-willed return to the idea, earlier conceded to be a mistake, without a public refutation of previous conclusion of the Russian Academy of Science and Minatom decision implicates that the "National Operator" has a hard time of reliably proving itself the ways and sites for geological/ final and other kinds of isolation of radioactive waste, furthermore it partially ignores/ distorts the recognized international methodology. The situation is additionally complicated by the world economic and political crisis. Difficulties for all types of final storage facilities can be objectively and efficiently mastered by using the experience of mining, geology and material sciences as well as resources external to Rosatom. It is suggested to set up mining companies of dual purpose and to adapt the ready mine workings being taken out of service for burial of radioactive waste. In this context priority should be given to the northern/arctic territories, genuine public and scientific feasibility of objects. The rapidly developing international market of nuclear waste disposal, where Rosatom wants to have a worthy presence, does not tolerate the domination of dangerous decisions behind the scenes.
Keywords: nuclear energy, nuclear waste, nuclear waste storage facility, geological and mining technologies, safety, economy, Novaya Zemlya, Krasnoyarsk, Pechenga, Ural, Rosatom, mining and chemical combine, Kola Mining and Metallurgical Company, Russia.

See in Russian: http://greenworld.org.ru/?q=rao_komleva_18316