At the workshop of Ministry for Atomic Energy (Minatom) held on April 21, Minatom’s acting boss Yevgeniy Adamov confirmed earlier reports suggesting that the responsibility for handling of submarine spent nuclear fuel would be taken away from the Navy.

According to Adamov, his ministry’s first objective would be to defuel the laid-up nuclear powered submarines, pack the spent fuel into containers and place them onshore for temporary storage. Later, the containers will be shipped down to Mayak plant in Siberia for reprocessing.

Earlier this month, the governor of Murmansk County Yury Jevdokimov, filed a proposal to the Government of Russia to transfer Andreeva Bay, the only operational storage facility for spent nuclear fuel in the Northern Fleet, and Nerpa shipyard under control of Minatom.