Global nuclear waste threat and the IAEA Multilateral Approach

The international trade in nuclear waste between Europe and Russia also has a wider global context. Specifically the efforts by the nuclear industry, national governments and the International Atomic Energy Agency to establish regional high-level waste disposal sites. The furthest advanced is the Russian Federation. This effort is driven by the growing crisis in nuclear waste volumes, in particular reactor spent fuel (figure). The Russian government after years of effort amended the Atomic Law in 2000 to permit the importation of spent fuel for the purpose of storage, reprocessing and disposal. In March 2000, Greenpeace disclosed the details of a Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy Agency Minatom, to import of 20,500 tonnes of spent nuclear fuel. Half of the expected revenue estimated at US$21bn would be used for a high level waste disposal site the remainder, according to Minatom, will be profit. Russia despite seeking to import thousands of tonnes of high level waste has no repositary.

Countries that have been identified by Russia as potential clients, include Germany, Switzerland, and Spain – all enrichment and reprocessing client nations with commercial contracts to Eurodif, or Urenco, or Areva or a combination. Whiel the high level waste disposal plan remains a future threat, the utilities in these countries (and others) are already responsible for the dumping of nuclear waste uranium in Russia.

Aiding and abetting the nuclear utilities, the European Commission and IAEA are seeking to ease the pain of the pain of the 'Western' nuclear industry by promoting the dumping of nuclear waste spent fuel in regional sites, in the first instance in the Russian Federation’s nuclear facilities in Siberia. The Commission has opened negotiations for greater nuclear trade between the EU and Russia, including the export of high level nuclear waste. (1) The IAEA has established a proposal for Multilateral Nuclear Fuel Cycle centers, including regional high-level waste disposal sites.

Greenpeace along with environmental organizations in Russia and a large majority of the Russian population strongly oppose the establishment of a multilateral nuclear waste dump in Russia.

(1) - EU Commission Proposal for a Directive (Euratom) on the management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste,
January 30th 2003. http://europa.eu.int/comm/energy/nuclear/safety/doc/com2003_0032en01.pdf

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