News
Publish date: July 16, 1997
News
Beloyarsk nuclear power plant in Sverdlovsk county currently has only one operational reactor installation, of BN-600 type. The two other reactors, of AMB-100 and AMB-200 types, are shut down. No decision has been taken on how to handle the spent fuel from these reactors.
While all the fuel was taken out of the first reactor installation, the AMB-100, there are still a few fuel assemblies left inside the second reactor. The onsite storage facility now holds 4990 fuel assemblies. A part of the cladding is no longer tight, leading to contamination of the cooling water. Radioactivity in the water increased during the last three years by a factor of 1.6. Although the first reactor installation at Beloyarsk was taken out of operation as early as 1980, the decommissioning is still not finished.
Nevertheless, the regional authorities are seeking 1.1 billion USD to complete the construction of the forth reactor installation. As expected, the sum is to be provided by some major industry plants of the county, Beloyarsk nuclear power plant itself and by the county government. While the involved parties have agreed to the funding plan, actual funds have not yet materialised.
Recent attacks on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant "mark the beginning of a new and gravely dangerous front of the war," the UN atomic agency's director general said last week.
After years of inaction, Germany is working on its Carbon Management Strategy to resolve how CCS can play a role in climate action in industry. At the end of February, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action published first key points and a proposal to amend the law Kohlenstoffdioxid Speicherungsgesetz (KSpG). Bellona Deutschland, who was actively involved in the previous stakeholder dialogue submitted a statement in the association hearing.
In the midst of a global discussion on whether natural gas should be used as a transitional fuel and whether emissions from its extraction, production, transport and use are significantly less than those from other fossil fuels, Russia has developed ambitious plans to increase its own production of liquified natural gas (LNG) in the Arctic – a region with 75% of proven gas reserves in Russia – to raise its share in the international gas trade.
In this news digest, we monitor events that impact the environment in the Russian Arctic. Our main focus lies in identifying the factors that contribute to pollution risks and climate change.