Nuclear industry safety matters for Russian Rosatom

Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Medvedev met with Sergei Kiriyenko, head of the Russian state nuclear engineering corporation Rosatom, in Moscow on 18 September 2015. The Rosatom head informed the Prime Minister about results of the federal program on nuclear and radiation safety, which implementation period will expire this year. Rosatom has managed to fulfill 108.5% of the program’s goals despite the fact that the program’s funding has been reduced by RUB8.4 billion.

The matter of safety of the entire nuclear energy industry is important for Rosatom along with production activities, BelTA learned from Dmitry Baranov, senior expert at the investment fund management company Finam Management. One can even say that these are two sides of the same coin. Maximum safety is the absolute priority in nuclear energy industry and it is the right policy.

This is why it is not surprising that the federal program on nuclear and radiation safety was one of the key programs that Rosatom has been implementing for several years. It will be finished this year and some results can be summed up already. First, according to preliminary data, key parameters of the program have been exceeded by 8.5% despite the reduced funding. Second, the fill level of spent nuclear fuel storage facilities at Russian nuclear power plants has been reduced. Third, as many as 53 radiation-hazardous sites have been decommissioned, with about 270ha of polluted lands reclaimed. Fourth, the number of surface water bodies that store liquid radioactive waste has been reduced. Fifth, a large number of ships with nuclear power generators have been recycled. Large territories in various parts of the country have been rid of spent nuclear fuel that had been used by ships. Apart from that, various technologies have been worked out and assimilated to ensure nuclear and radiation safety, new managerial solutions have been created, efforts in this sphere are now more effective in comparison with 2008 when the program was launched. On the whole, the federal program is a success. It has also helped Rosatom reach other goals.

However, it does not mean that nuclear and radiation safety can be put on the backburner now. The nuclear energy industry continues operating, the nuclear weapons industry continues developing, and the use of radiation healthcare is expanding. It means that safety still matters. It means that it is still necessary to do everything to keep things safe. Yes, many safety problems have been taken care of but there are still those that need to be addressed. This is why the second federal program on nuclear and radiation safety is in development and will be adopted. Yes, the program will need money but no expense can be spared for the effort. Cutting down expenses would be a crime in this regard. Nuclear and radiation safety is a matter of life and health of Russian citizens, a matter vital for preserving the environment, for honoring Russia’s international commitments. At last the program will give work to hundreds of enterprises across the country as well as jobs to thousands of people while budgets of all levels will get revenues. I’d like to hope that the federal government understands the importance of the matter and the financing of the federal program on nuclear and radiation safety will be handled in no time, the requested amount of money will be granted.