Russia Agrees To Consult Neighbours On Nuclear Plans
Written by NucNet
Thursday, 02 June 2011
Russian state nuclear energy agency Rosatom has said it is willing to “notify and consult” neighbouring states about its plans for building new nuclear reactor units and other nuclear facilities.
After a meeting in Geneva on 27 May 2011, Rosatom said it would keep other states informed of its nuclear plans within the framework of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe’s (UNECE) Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Espoo Convention), even though Russia is not yet a party to that treaty.
The Espoo Convention is the only international legal instrument requiring countries to notify and consult each other on the potential environmental impact of new nuclear projects. The convention has so far been applied to over 50 nuclear projects.
UNECE said as an illustration of its new policy Rosatom will soon notify Russia’s neighbours of its plans to build a low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste disposal site at Sosnovy Bor in the Leningrad region.
Rosatom said it has already begun to hold consultations with interested states on the potential environmental impact of a nuclear power plant to be constructed in the country’s Kaliningrad region.
Rosatom’s decision comes at a time when Russia is planning to nearly double its nuclear energy output by 2020.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency Russia has 32 nuclear units in commercial operation and 11 under construction.
