Bellona nuclear digest. July 2024
A survey of events in the field of nuclear and radiation safety relating to Russia and Ukraine.
News
Publish date: August 23, 2000
Written by: Nils Bøhmer
News
Water samples taken by the Norwegian divers from inside and close to the Kursk wreck were analyzed during the night by NRPA. Since the measurements show no sign of short-lived isotopes, which are usual for a recently shutdown reactor, we can conclude that so far the two reactors are not discharging any radioactivity. NRPA will also analyze samples taken from the sea bottom close to the Kursk.
According to Murmansk Meteorological Institute, some of their equipment has registered a level of radiation at 16 micro Roentgen/hour. The normal background radiation at the Kola Peninsula is typically between 10 to 20 micro Roentgen/hour. The level of the normal background varies because of different geology and atmospheric conditions. The radiation levels provided by Murmansk Meteorological Institute show no sign that there should be any additional radiation from the Kursk submarine.
A survey of events in the field of nuclear and radiation safety relating to Russia and Ukraine.
Transport on the Northern Sea Route is not sustainable, and Kirkenes must not become a potential hub for transport along the Siberian coast. Bellona believes this is an important message Norway should deliver in connection with the Prime Minister's visit to China. In an open letter to Jonas Gahr Støre, Bellona asks the Prime Minister to make it clear that the Chinese must stop shipping traffic through the Northeast Passage.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has published a new report on its efforts to ensure nuclear safety and security during the conflict in Ukraine, with the agency’s director-general warning that the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station remains “precarious and very fragile.”
In this news digest, we monitor events that impact the environment in the Russian Arctic. Our focus lies in identifying the factors that contribute to pollution and climate change.