Bellona has published its third report on potential sources of radioactive contamination of the Arctic. The report, named The Arctic Nuclear Challenge, does not only present the latest updated information about nuclear safety issues, it also present solutions to secure spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste in the Murmansk and Arkhangelsk regions. In addition to listing the ongoing efforts to safely secure the nuclear waste, the report describes various new projects proposed by Bellona in order to solve the problems of further radioactive contamination and the ensuing adverse health effects to people living in the Arctic areas. The content of the report covers topic like the Northern Fleet, the nuclear powered icebreakers, Kola nuclear power plant, and finally Bellona’s proposal to construct a new, environmental safe regional storage facilities for naval spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste at the Kola Peninsula.

The new Bellona report was presented at the B7 conference in Oslo in June. At the presentation, the Norwegian State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth-Eide said:

– Nuclear safety is not a task solely for officials, state agencies and private business. The civil society plays the most important role in providing public support and establishing the right priorities when projects are discussed and new solutions must be found. As a pragmatic non-governmental organisation, Bellona is searching for solutions to head off problems of potential Arctic radioactive contamination, said Barth-Eide. The Russian version of the report will be published later this summer.