News
Publish date: March 17, 1997
Written by: Thomas Nilsen
News
The plant, to be put up at Mayak with an expected annual capacity of around 1.3 tons of plutonium, could be operational by year 2000. The first contracts on MOX delivery could be entered this year, based on a detailed French-Russian study conducted in 1993-1996, according to Nuclear Enginrering International.
Russian scientists are evaluating use of MOX in sivilian Russian nuclear power plants. There is a special interest in MOX-fuel for the new generation fast-breeder reactors (BN-800) planned to be implemented at Beloyarsk (one unit) and South-Ural Nuclear Power Plants (three units). The plans also include production of MOX fuel assemblies for VVER-reactors.
The new MOX plant will be the fifth such facility at Mayak. The first pilot facility operated during the 1960s and 1970s, using approximately one ton of weapons grade plutonium to produce test fuel assemblies for fast breeding research reactors. Today, all the four former production facilities are closed down.
For some years, there has been close co-operation between France and Russia, on the French fast-breeder Super-Phenix and the fast breeder reactor at the Beloyarsk nuclear power plant. It is not that obvious why Germany is joining in on the Mayak plans.
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.