News

Dry nuclear storage facility to be launched in Zheleznogorsk in 2005

Publish date: July 21, 2003

The first part of the dry storage facility for spent nuclear fuel at the Zheleznogorsk Chemical Combine should be put into operation in 2005.

The facility is expected to receive 8 tons of the spent nuclear fuel from the Russian designed reactors VVER-1000, RBMK-1000 and of foreign origin. The project’s price tag is about $130 mln. Some parts of the unfinished RT-2 plant are rapidly being dismantled to construct the dry facility instead. The fossil fuel-burning power plant, a substitute for nuclear reactor, should produce 400 Gcal and 117 MW of energy. It is expected to serve both neighbouring Sosnovoborsk and Zheleznogorsk. According to the agreement between the Russian Atomic Ministry and the USA, the US party earmarks $150 mln for the fossil fuel-burning power plant provided the Russian party shuts down the controversial reactor for good in 2006. The Zheleznogorsk authorities, however, believe this sum is not enough and intend to ask for additional investment from the state budget.