As a follow-up of the agreement signed in late May between Russia and Norway on radwaste clean-up in north-western Russia, a joint commission headed by Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Aslaug Haga and Deputy Atomic Energy Minister of Russia Nikolay Yegorov has held its first meeting in Moscow. The May agreement focuses on 10 projects related to the Northern Fleet, nuclear powered ice-breakers and the Kola nuclear plant – all located in Murmansk and Arkhangelsk counties. In addition, the agreement waives the participating parties’ liability in case of an accident, and exempts foreign assistance from taxes and custom tariffs.
The commission selected three priority projects from those submitted: the Lepse pilot-project; construction of a set of railway cars for spent fuel shipment; and clean-up work in the Northern Fleet’s radwaste storage site Andreeva Bay, located on the Kola Peninsula. Yegorov says clean-up projects in the Northern Fleet require some $1.5 billion.
