The Russian Ministry of Defence has allocated 500,000 USD to upgrade the storage facility infrastructure for spent nuclear fuel in Andreeva Bay on the Kola peninsula. Andreeva Bay is the Northern Fleet’s largest and only operational on-shore storage site for spent nuclear fuel, located 45 kilometers from the Norwegian border.

The issue of Andreeva Bay was discussed at a meeting at the Murmansk county administration last autumn. At that meeting, Michael Motsak, the commander of the Zapadnaya Litsa naval base, where the Andreeva facility is located, presented a special report on the nuclear safety situation there.

As a result of the meeting, a coordination committee was established. In December 1997, the committee worked out its suggestions for 1998 on how to handle the situation in Andreeva Bay. The proposals, however, were not backed by funding. Hence, the Defence Ministry’s money arrives at an opportune moment.

However, 500,000 USD is far less than required, naval officials say. The governor of Murmansk county, Yuriy Jevdokimov, now counts on the support from Scandinavian countries and the United States.