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UK funds safe store for historic Soviet waste |
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| UK funds safe store for historic Soviet waste |
| 29-Sep-2006 |
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Hazardous spent nuclear fuel, currently stored on a ship, will now be safely transferred to secure storage, thanks to a new UK funded facility opened today by Prince Michael of Kent at Atomflot in Murmansk, Russia.
The storage facility, valued at over £21m, is the largest completed project under the UK's Global Partnership programme. It is the first of its kind in Russia to fully comply with Russian and International Atomic Energy authority standards. The new building is designed to withstand earthquakes and terrorist attacks, and has an £2m integrated defence system.
Welcoming the completion of the project UK Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks stated that the project would provide:
- The largest and most complex nuclear safety project ever directly funded by the UK Government in the Former Soviet Union
- Extremely hazardous material will now be securely stored, greatly reducing not just the environmental risk, but the threat of proliferation or sabotage of the material
- An excellent example of the close and practical cooperation between the two countries in this vital area
- A facility to help make the world a safer place
The facility provides safe storage for 3,500 spent fuel rods in 50 storage casks. The Global Partnership was set up by G8 leaders in Kananaskis in 2002. G8 countries pledged up to $20bn over 10 years to prevent the spread of weapons and materials of mass destruction. Within this, the UK has committed to provide up to $750m. The Atomflot facility helps to ensure nuclear material is safe and secure - one of the priorities set for the programme by G8 leaders. Further details about the UK's programmes under the Global Partnership, including annual reports on the programme, are available online at
www.dti.gov.uk/energy/environment/soviet-nuclear-legacy/index.html |
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