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A public inspection at the Zheleznogorsk mining-and-chemical complex in
Krasnoyarsk Territory had positive changes. Let us remind you here that
a commission headed by deputy from the YABLOKO faction Sergei Mitrokhin
visited the complex in February, 2002. Now measures have been
implemented to strengthen the security systems. The uncompleted shell
of the RT-2 plant has been dismantled and a new concrete fence is being
built.
According to deputy Mitrokhin, the inspection achieved its main
objective: it attracted the public's attention to the problems of
security at nuclear plants and made the Atomic Ministry start financing
corresponding programmes. However, Mitrokhin believes that the main
problems of the nuclear sector require more serious decisions.
It is necessary to legislatively change the procedure for forming the
tariff on nuclear energy generated by the nuclear power stations.
Deductions of real costs on the preservation of nuclear waste and costs
of further waste treatment should be included in the calculation of
these tariffs. Such a measure would make it possible to obtain the funds
to provide security for storage facilities, raise the wages of the
personnel to the level of wages at nuclear power stations, something
that is urgently needed both by the Zheleznogorsk complex and also the
"Mayak" plant. Today an operator at a nuclear power station earns two or
three times more than his colleague from "Mayak". Such injustice is
attributable to the low price for the storage of domestic nuclear
wastes - only 50 dollars per kilogram, or eight times less than its prime
cost.
Mitrokhin also proposed removing the costs of building new nuclear power
stations from tariffs. According to Mitrokhin, the liquidation of the
consequences of disasters at nuclear power plants (for example, the
catastrophe at the "Mayak" plant in 1957) is more important than the
construction of new nuclear power plants.
See also:
YABLOKO Against Nuclear Waste Imports
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