Gay Mitchell
Question:66 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Public Enterprise her views on the US-Russia agreement on nuclear waste storage tanks. [8300/00]
Written Answers. - Nuclear Waste.
I understand from the website of the US Department of Energy that this agreement between the US Department of Energy and Russia's Minister for Atomic Energy is aimed at developing and testing advanced technologies for remediation of high level nuclear waste tanks both in the US and Russia.
I understand also that the joint project is being funded under the US Department of Energy's initiatives for proliferation prevention and will advance the US Department of Energy's nuclear cities initiatives – there are two US Department of Energy initiatives aimed at employing Russia's nuclear weapons personnel in commercial, non-weapons related enterprises.
The legacy, in terms of nuclear waste and spent fuel, from the civilian and military nuclear programmes in the former Soviet Union constitutes a serious radiological, environmental and, in particular in the case of material containing plutonium, safeguards issue. Major investment is required for the remediation of contaminated sites and to improve the conditions under which such material is stored.
I would consider the agreement to be a positive step to the extent that it is aimed at addressing the further accumulation of plutonium from spent fuel produced by nuclear power plants and at promoting nuclear waste clean-up operations.