The international environmental foundation Bellona, which favours increasing the financing of environmental programs by Norway, said to the Interfax news agency this figure is only 4 million Norwegian crowns higher than that allocated in 2005. The Murmansk-based Northern Radioactive Waste Handling Federal Enterprise (SevRAO) said the Norwegian town of Vadsø will be the venue of a meeting between Murmansk region Governor Yury Yevdokimov and Finnmark County Governor Gunnar Kjønnøy on February 21-22.

SevRAO Chief Engineer Vladimir Khandobin said “the meeting is designed to sum up the results of the work for last year and set the primary goals for the upcoming period. The consideration of financial issues should be tied to the concept of environmental rehabilitation of the Andreyeva Bay,” in which Norway is also involved, Interfax reported.

“A negative conclusion has been given as regards the operation of the berth of this former Northern Fleet base without its overhaul. Therefore, we need a project for its restoration and this is one of the priorities issues for us,” Khandobin said. In addition, it is planned to launch the construction of infrastructure for removing spent nuclear fuel from the base and resolve a number of concomitant problems starting from 2007, he said.