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Countries Discuss Aiding Efforts to Shut Down Three Russian Plutonium-Producing Reactors By Mike Nartker WASHINGTON — The United States and Russia are seeking international aid for efforts to shut down three Russian nuclear reactors that produce weapon-grade plutonium, a U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration official said today (see GSN, Jan. 28). The topic was the focus of a conference held Feb. 7-8 in Switzerland, which was attended by representatives from 11 countries, as well as the European Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency. The three Russian reactors — two located in the closed city of Seversk and one in the closed city of Zheleznogorsk — have been estimated to produce more than 1 metric ton of weapon-grade plutonium per year. To reduce proliferation concerns, the United States is assisting the shutdown of the three reactors by constructing a new fossil-fuel electricity plant at Zheleznogorsk and by refurbishing an existing fossil-fuel facility at Seversk to replace the electricity and heat provided by the reactors. Construction of the new fossil-fuel plant at Zheleznogorsk is expected to be completed by the end of 2011. The Seversk refurbishment project is set to be fully completed by 2009. In its fiscal 2006 budget request, the Bush administration requested a net 200-percent increase in funding for the reactor shutdown project, from $44 million to $132 million. The Energy Department has requested the increased funding ahead of expected increased construction activities at Seversk, according to an analysis prepared by the Russian American Nuclear Security Advisory Council. During this month’s conference, officials discussed finding international funding for a number of proposals put forth by Russia to aid in restoring the environment around the reactors and to provide jobs for the “highly skilled scientists and technicians that will be displaced” when the reactors are closed, according to a National Nuclear Security Administration press release. “This conference is an historic call to action for the international community to support our collective global nonproliferation objectives,” the agency’s principal deputy administrator, Jerry Paul, said in the release. “Continued funding and support will be critical to our joint efforts to shut down these deteriorating reactors and provide replacement facilities for the two closed cities and their inhabitants.” The National Nuclear Security Administration official said there had been “concrete interest” in the projects proposed by Russia, especially concerning proposals related to the decommissioning of the reactors, transport of spent fuel away from the sites and environmental remediation of open nuclear waste storage reservoirs. During the conference, four potential donor countries expressed interest in aiding the Russian proposals and plan to further discuss the issue with Moscow bilaterally, the official said. The official declined to identify the potential donor nations. Representatives from the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, South Korea, Italy, Slovak Republic, Canada, Russia, Switzerland and the United States attended the conference. The agency official also said that discussions are under way between the United States and other countries to solicit aid for the construction of the planned Zheleznogorsk fossil-fuel plant. Last month, the United Kingdom announced it would provide $20 million for the project.
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