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RANSAC Nuclear News, April 19, 2003 Compiled by Lauren Arestie and Michael Roston A. Closed Nuclear Cities
 A. Closed Nuclear Cities 1. VNIITF to carry out early cancer diagnostics The All-Russia Research Institute for Technical Physics (VNIITF) plans to set up a PET-diagnostics center to be created jointly with the US experts. The Center is to detect heart and cancer deceases at early stages. According to Ural-Press-Inform news agency, the US experts, led by Administrative and Technical Director John Sanderland, from Louisiana-based PET-diagnostics center visited Snezhinsk this April. They have been working to create a similar facility for two years already in concert with Minatom of Russia, Chelyabinsk Region administration, and VNIITF experts. The first expert estimates to justify the project and business-plan have been made. The project will be presented in June. According to Gennadi Mokichev, the head of experimental physics laboratory of VNIITF, the idea of creating such positron-emission-tomography center appeared in 1999 at the neutron generator project presentation. Mokichev noted that radiation treatment of cancer is important but if it were possible to detect the decease at early stages, the malign tumor could have been removed completely using irradiation. Georgi Rykovanov, the Director of VNIITF, after he has received proposals made by Andrei Vazhenin, the head of Chelyabinsk Cancer Center, directed the experts to get familiarized with the isotopic diagnostics methodology. PET-diagnostics, which uses ultra-short-lived isotopes with half-life of two hours, allows for detecting a malign tumor at the so-called no-symptom stage when it is of few millimeters in size. According to G. Mokichev, such �sparing� diagnostics reduces (as compared to traditional methods) a patient dose burden, the isotopes are taken out of the organism fast, and all this allows for tracing the decease dynamics and curing it promptly. There are eight centers like that in the US and four in Russia: two in Moscow, and two in St. Peterburg. The Center in the Urals will be capable of examining up to 6,000 cancer patients and 4,000 to 5,000 of those with heart deficiencies. The Center construction will be funded mainly from three sources -Minatom of Russia, regional budget and the US under the Nuclear Cities Initiative program � to include construction of the building and cyclotron. The process is to take four years. return to menu B. Strategic Arms Reduction 1. Duma committee suggests discussing ratifying SORT on May 16 The Duma International Committee has suggested discussing the ratification of the Russian-U.S. Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT) on May 16. "We have agreed on the issue with members of our committee and will suggest a date for considering the treaty ratification at the next session of the Duma Council on April 22," Committee Chairman Dmitry Rogozin told Interfax on Thursday. He told Interfax earlier that the date was arranged with Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, who, together with Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, is the official representative of the Russian president to the parliament debates on ratifying the SORT. Rogozin thinks that no less than 260-280 deputies will support the treaty (a minimum of 226 votes is required to ratify the treaty). return to menu 2. Official: Duma May Ratify SOR On May 16 The Russian State Duma may ratify the Russian-U.S. Treaty on Strategic Offensive Reductions (SOR) on May 16, a Russian parliamentarian has said. "I believe at least 260 to 280 parliamentarians will vote for ratification," State Duma international affairs committee Chairman Dmitri Rogozin told Interfax on Wednesday. Rogozin said he intends to hold consultations with committee members, and will soon call on the Duma Council to approve the date for considering the treaty's ratification. "In a preliminary manner, I have cleared the date, May 16, with the Russian foreign minister," Rogozin said. He recalled that Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov will be official presidential representatives at the Duma plenary session considering the SOR Treaty's ratification. return to menu 3. Vice-Speaker Lukin On Ratification Of Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty Russian State Duma Vice-Speaker Vladimir Lukin believes that the Russian-US Treaty on strategic offensive reductions will be ratified. The Russian president comes out for the ratification of the treaty, the vice-speaker told a press conference in RIA Novosti on Wednesday. "I think in May the State Duma will reconsider the treaty's ratification," Lukin said. The ratification of the treaty on strategic offensive reductions meets Russia's interests, first of all, because this document will fix "a nuclear limit for Washington, which is very important", and will lead to "the reduction of missile carriers by 30 percent," the parliamentarian stressed. According to Lukin, the State Duma's decision to postpone the ratification was wrong. "It turns out that we initiated the signing of this treaty and now refuse to ratify it. Moreover, the USA proposed an oral agreement and Russia insisted on a written variant," he explained. The consideration of the ratification of the treaty on strategic offensive reductions was scheduled for March 21st, however, on March 18th the deputies took a decision to postpone it in connection with the aggravation of the situation around Iraq. President Vladimir Putin said in this connection that Russia was interested in the ratification of the treaty. According to him, Moscow and Washington's contradictions on the Iraqi problem create "unfavorable background for further work on the ratification of the treaty on strategic offensive reductions." "We shall work with deputies of the Federal Assembly and hope that the treaty will be ratified," Putin stressed. return to menu 4. Duma Expected To Ratify US Arms Treaty Russia's lower house of parliament may take up ratification of the newest U.S.-Russian arms control treaty next month, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported Tuesday. The lower house, the State Duma, had been expected to open debate on ratifying the Treaty of Moscow last month, but it indefinitely postponed a ratification vote because of the then imminent U.S.-led attack on Iraq, which Moscow vehemently opposed. "It was impossible from the moral point of view" to discuss ratification at the time, ITAR-Tass quoted Dmitry Rogozin, the chairman of the Duma's international affairs committee, as saying Tuesday. Rogozin said that with combat now winding down, his committee might resubmit the treaty for ratification in the second half of May, ITAR-Tass reported. The treaty, which Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President George W. Bush signed in May, calls on both nations to cut their strategic nuclear arsenals by about two-thirds, to 1,700 to 2,200 deployed warheads, by 2012. return to menu C. Submarine Dismantlement 1. 17 nuke submarines to be scraped Russia plans to scrap 17 decommissioned nuclear submarines this year, the same number as last year, the Atomic Energy Ministry said Friday. About 100 nuclear-powered submarines have been disposed of since 1998. Another 100 submarines from the Northern and Pacific Fleets are languishing at docks with nuclear fuel in their reactors, waiting for disposal, the Interfax-Military News Agency said, citing ministry statistics. "In 2002, we disposed of 17 nuclear submarines and in 2003 we plan to dispose of approximately the same number," Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev was quoted as saying. The presence of radioactive fuel in the submarines and poor conditions at naval facilities feed international worries about dangerous radiation leaks or the possibility of nuclear materials being transferred to other nations or terrorists. "Our main task is to unload nuclear fuel from submarines and ship it to the Mayak facility in the Chelyabinsk region for storage and subsequent processing," Rumyantsev said. He added that his agency is also "strengthening physical protection at nuclear facilities in the Navy's coastal bases." The United States has helped fund the dismantling of the submarines, contributing US$120.1 million to the Zvezda plant in Russia's Far East. But Russian officials have complained that American money is drying up now that many of the submarines that targeted the United States during the Cold War have been destroyed. return to menu D. Radiological Weapons 1. Kyrgyzstan arrests 2 for trying to sell radioactive substances Police in Kyrgyzstan have arrested two men for trying to sell 35 kilogrammes of a radioactive substance which they stole from a defunct Soviet nuclear plant, the Central Asian country's deputy interior ministry said yesterday. "One of the criminals had kept this material in his house since 1984," Deputy Interior Minister Abdylla Suranchyev told journalists. The other man detained for stealing the ytterbium oxide is a former employee of the Orlovka uranium processing plant, close to the capital Bishkek, Suranchyev said. The detentions come after the theft from Orlovka in January of nearly half a ton of europium oxide, another substance used in the nuclear industry. Experts have repeatedly warned of the risk of poorly secured nuclear materials from the former Soviet Union falling into terrorist hands. Discussions are currently under way at an international conference in Bishkek over how to clean up remnants of the Soviet nuclear industry which pose not only a security risk but an environmental threat. return to menu 2. Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority asks Russia for information on stolen lighthouse power source The Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority of Finland (STUK) has asked Russia for more information on how the radioactive power source of a nuclear-powered lighthouse ended up in the Gulf of Finland. Seppo V�is�l�, head inspector at STUK, says that a request will be sent to Russia today asking for information on the source of the radiation, and on what exactly happened at the lighthouse on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland. "We want to know what kind of a device was found, and if it caused a danger to the person who found it", V�is�l� says. He emphasised that the radioactive device is not a danger to anyone in Finland. "The issue definitely does not affect Finland. Nothing will come here from there", he says. However, he also expresses wonder at how such a powerful source of radiation could have been left unattended. There are many radioactive lighthouses along the Russian coast, which are operated by the Russian Navy, and which are not under any kind of supervision. The radioactive power source of the Riteg lighthouse was raised to the surface near the village of Kurgolovo on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland at the end of March. A thief had stolen the aluminium and steel covers of the generator and thrown the radioactive parts into the sea. So far Russian officials have not given any information about the case. Physicist Oleg Bodrov, the chairman of the Russian environmental organisation Zelyonyi Mir in the town of Sosnovy Bor, told Helsingin Sanomat about the incident on Tuesday. Bodrov says that the strontium cylinder was hot - about 400� C. It penetrated the ice and sank into the frozen sand at the bottom. Later it was dug up and sent to the storage area for low and medium-level radioactive materials at Sosnovy Bor, the location of a controversial Russian nuclear power plant. return to menu 3. Thieves Steal Radioactive Object in Russia A very dangerous radioactive cylinder was stolen and then thrown into the Baltic sea On March 28th, a radioactive source RIT-90 was taken out from the Baltic Sea in the Leningrad region. The radioactive source contained 1500 curie of radioactive strontium-90. The operation was successfully conducted by specialists of the Russian North-West regional storage of low-radioactive wastes, Rodan. Unknown ecological vandals plundered a desolate beacon and stole about 500 kilos of stainless steel, aluminium, lead. They threw a hot (300-400 degrees Celsius) radioactive cylinder in the sea, some 200 meters off the beacon. The cylinder (it weighed five kilos) melted about 70 centimeters of ice, reached the seafloor and continued plunging in the frozen sand. Radioactive RIT-90 sources contain radioactive strontium-90 titanate. This insoluble substance (its decomposition period makes up about 30 years) is used as a source of heating energy. Its capacity is about 40 Watts. A thermocouple and a simple electronic device converts its heating power in electric and light impulses of a large capacity. The capacity of the radioactive exposure dose is about 1000 Rontgen per hour at the distance of 20 cm off the cylinder. In other words, this radioactive source radiates a lethal dose for a human being within just a few minutes. There are about a hundred of such beacons in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland. They provide the sea navigation in the Russian part of the Baltic Sea. After military men found that a radioactive cylinder was missing at the beacon, they addressed to the special company Radon, asking to find and isolate the dangerous cylinder. A special team of the company, as well as a group of marines and police officers, spent several hours, searching for the cylinder. They managed to take it out of the water with the help of a spade. The dangerous object was then taken to a highway and loaded onto a lead container. After that, the cylinder was taken to the company Radon, where it was thoroughly examined. The radioactive object is to be transported to the enterprise Mayak in the Chelyabinsk region in order to be buried there. The extremely dangerous situation has been settled down. Authorities do not want to make it public in order not to frighten people. However, it was not the first time, when a radioactive object was stolen. The same beacon was plundered three years ago under the same circumstances. A lethal cylinder was found on a bus stop in the town of Kingisepp, about 50 kilometers far from the site of the crime. It is known that three thieves died as a result of the radiation exposure. No one will ever know, how many people in total were exposed to radiation, when they were waiting for buses there. It deems that authorities did not want to learn the lesson, although they are supposed to guarantee people's security. What is to be done in order to prevent from any further events like this to happen again? What if a radioactive cylinder is found on a metro station in St.Petersburg one day? What if a terrorist blows a cylinder up, spreading radioactive substances all over the region? Anyway, such bad news is not likely to happen. It deems that only "good" ecological news will be coming from Russia. Deputy Minister for Natural Resources has recently distributed a telegram, in which it was said that the information about both natural and man-caused negative or disastrous events should be considered confidential. No information v no problems, so to speak. return to menu 4. Thief discards radioactive parts of Russian lighthouse in Gulf of Finland - No guards at lighthouses of Russian Navy The radioactive power source of a lighthouse was found in the Gulf of Finland near its southern shores in late March. The power source, which contains strontium, was found some 100 kilometres from the Finnish coast. The so-called RITEG, or radioisotope thermoelectric generator, came from a nearby Russian lighthouse. An unknown individual had stolen the aluminium and steel parts that protect the generator, and discarded the radioactive material. The Russian authorities have not publicised the information, but Helsingin Sanomat was informed by physicist Oleg Bodrov, who chairs a Russian environmental organisation. Russian authorities confirmed the incident on Tuesday. The 400-degree strontium cylinder had pierced the ice and sunk to the bottom of the gulf. The cylinder is now at the Sosnovyi Bor nuclear waste storage depot. Bodrov does not believe that the strontium caused any damage in the sea, as it does not dissolve unless the cylinder has cracked. He assumes the thief or thieves have died, or will soon perish. "An unprotected power source gives off a lethal dose of radiation within ten minutes at a distance of 20 centimetres." Bodrov estimates that Russia has around one hundred RITEG lighthouses in the Gulf of Finland region. The lighthouses are checked every three months, but not guarded. The lighthouses will be transferred from the Russian Navy to civilian control later this year. The generators pose a potential hazard if they wind up with terrorists, as a detonated generator could pollute vast areas of an ocean. This incident is not the first of its kind, as a similar theft occurred in 1999. The stolen generator was later found at a bus stop, and three thieves evidently perished from the radiation. return to menu 5. Radioactive materials found in Chechnya VLADIKAVKAZ - Authorities have discovered an unprotected cache of radioactive material on the grounds of a destroyed chemical plant in the Chechen capital Grozny, a news agency reported Wednesday. The plant's director said two teenagers died of radiation poisoning after stealing a container of the material. The material was found in a workshop at the Rodon plant in Grozny's Zavodskoi district, the plant's director Ziva Kadyrov told the Interfax news agency. Kadyrov did not identify the substance, but said it was kept in 17 containers. He said a group of teenagers from the nearby village of Kirov had stolen one of the containers, and that two of them had died from radiation poisoning. He did not say when the deaths had occurred or whether the container the victims took had been recovered. He said that the plant was now under heavy guard and that workers would dispose of the material. The discovery came amid continuing concerns about the security of Russia's nuclear materials and fears that Chechen rebels could acquire them for use in terrorist attacks. Kadyrov told Interfax that 12 radioactive "sources" are missing in Chechnya, including some from a university in Grozny. He said the Rodon plant had disposed of 80 containers of radioactive material since 2000, either burying them or transferring them to safe storage sites outside Chechnya. return to menu E. Russia-U.S. 1. Experts Disagree on Us-Russian Cooperation Prospects Following Iraqi War A meeting of the Public Debate Club has shown that Russian experts disagree on prospects for US-Russian cooperation in the wake of the Iraqi war. "America needs a strong and efficient Russia, together they can stand against 21st-century threats," Head of the Institute of Strategic Evaluation Alexander Konovalov believes. He finds that Russia and the United States "must heal the rift" when the war is over. Russia's US-oriented strategy means the country is regressing, political scientist and TVC channel observer Alexei Pushkov believes. According to him, "the United States is making use of its allies without giving anything in return." "Discarded multipolar world doctrine poses a threat to Russia's sovereignty," Pushkov said. According to the Gorbachev Foundation's Head of political programs Viktor Kuvaldin, "there is no, has never been and will never be a Russian-US strategic partnership, because America does not need it." At the same time, he believes that the US and Russia must carry on with cooperation on a number of key issues, such as combating international terrorism and the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Observer Vitaly Tretyakov partially agrees with this point of view. He believes that Russian-US relations must be dominated by "selective partnership and moderate competitiveness." return to menu 2. Now�s The Time To Restore U.S.-Russian Relations Relations between the United States and Russia have chilled in recent months. Warm feelings based upon Russia's co-operation in the war on terror and the closeness of presidents George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin have been replaced by disagreement over the war in Iraq. But key threats, such as global economic stagnation, terrorism and weapons proliferation, make it clear that U.S. and Russian interests are best served by a speedy return to visible co-operation. Russia adamantly opposed using force in Iraq, and provided key support for France's pledge to veto a second Security Council resolution condemning Iraq. Even with the war's apparent success, Russia has maintained the view that the war destabilizes international relations. The rift over Iraq followed other recent divisions. Russia's sale of nuclear technology to Iran has drawn repeated criticism from the United States. Russia has also called for direct U.S.-North Korean talks, rather than the multilateral framework for negotiation favoured by President Bush. Meanwhile, Russia's own brutal war in Chechnya continues, despite calls for restraint from the United States and other Western governments. President Putin has taken important steps to put Russia on a westward course, but recent detours reflect a focus on Russia's national interests, and domestic pressures intensified by upcoming Russian parliamentary elections. The U.S. withdrawal from the ABM treaty, and NATO enlargement into Eastern Europe and the Baltic, has upset Russians, as has our failure to forgive Russian debt or to support Russian accession into the World Trade Organization. Russians particularly resent the Jackson-Vanik amendment, a holdover from the Cold War, that ties Russia's trade status to its freedom of emigration. The Russian people are questioning what they are getting out of the Bush-Putin relationship, and are uncomfortable in a post-Cold War world in which Russia's interests are subordinate to U.S. hegemony. Neither the United States nor Russia should be surprised that the other is pursuing a policy based on national interests. The United States sees weapons of mass destruction in the hands of regimes like Saddam Hussein's as a threat to its security, and is pursuing a muscular strategy of counterproliferation. Russia is interested in economic development, and is willing to put non-proliferation second to the benefits of doing business with countries such as Iran. But let's be practical. The United States and Russia each have an interest in Russia's economic integration into the West. The United States should forgive some Soviet-era Russian debt, repeal the outdated Jackson-Vanik amendment, and support Russian accession into the WTO, in return for greater transparency and market reform within Russia. A growing Russian economy tied more to the West would strengthen the global economic recovery, while reducing Russia's interest in dealing with countries such as Iran. Developing Russia's vast energy reserves could also increase Russian revenues, while providing the United States with another major oil and gas supplier outside of the volatile Middle East. When it comes to security, the United States and Russia have overlapping concerns. Russia's acceptance of U.S. bases in Central Asia as well as intelligence sharing between the two countries has strengthened the fight against al-Qaeda. While we should speak out vigorously against Russian human-rights violations in Chechnya, the United States must continue to work closely with Russia in the war on terror and the stabilization of Central Asia. The United States should also continue to bring Russia closer to NATO, as the integration of Russia into Western security arrangements reduces the likelihood of a return to Russian expansionism and militarism. If we want Russia to be a partner, we must be willing to treat it as one. Most importantly, the United States and Russia must reduce the threat of weapons proliferation. The United States should increase programs to help Russia secure and dismantle its own weapons of mass destruction, as the former Soviet Union is a natural destination for terrorists attempting to steal or acquire dangerous materials. If Washington and Moscow work together to reduce and secure their arsenals while building strong global non-proliferation regimes, trust between our nations will grow, and the world will be a safer place. return to menu 3. U.S. Threats To Syria Irk Russia Russia voiced displeasure at accusations by the United States that Syria was harboring overthrown Iraqi leaders and possessed chemical weapons. Such charges "do not contribute to normalization of the situation in Iraq and to stability in the region as a whole, including the Arab-Israeli settlement,'' the Interfax news agency quoted an unnamed Russian diplomat as saying. Another high-ranking source in the Russian Foreign Ministry told Interfax that Moscow took "a skeptical view of Washington's charges against Damascus.'' Meanwhile, a retired senior officer at the Defense Ministry said Moscow had refused to sell Syria advanced anti-missile systems because of opposition from the U.S. and Israel. ``I was witness to an agreement between the (Russian) Defense Minister, Igor Sergeyev, and (Syrian President) Hafez Assad, to supply the S-300 (air-defense systems) to Syria, but the deal was never cleared because the U.S. and Israel raised objections,'' Gen. Leonid Ivashov (Retd.) said in an interview. Gen. Ivashov was head of the international cooperation department in the Russian Defense Ministry at the time. return to menu 4. U.S., Russian Weapons Should Be Taken Off High Alert The nation's nuclear weapons should be taken off high-alert status, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein and 15 other senate Democrats told President Bush last week. In a letter to Bush, the lawmakers reminded him of a campaign statement in which he noted, that "keeping so many weapons on high alert may create unacceptable risks of accidental or unauthorized launch." They urged that with the Cold War long over and the United States and Russia already pledging to reduce thousands of warheads, there is no need for weapons to remain on hair-trigger alert. Last year, Moscow and Washington clinched a deal to reduce their nuclear arsenals from 6,000 warheads to between 1,700 and 2,200 over the next 10 years. The Pentagon has said that the U.S. warheads will not be destroyed, but rather stored. Ira Shorr, national field director for Physicians for Social Responsibility applauded the senators' attempts. "The United States and Russian nuclear weapons should be de-alerted as soon as possible, if we truly are beyond the Cold War and wanting to destroy each other with nuclear weapons," he said. In the House, Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Alamo has signed onto legislation she said will help the United States identify weapons of mass destruction in former Soviet states. The Nuclear Security Initiative Act of 2003, sponsored by Reps. John Spratt, D-S.C., and Curt Weldon, R-Pa., devotes $60 million toward creating jobs for people with knowledge of nuclear weapons in Russia. Another $60 million would go toward researching ways to reduce the threat of so-called "dirty bombs;" $35 million to close nuclear warhead production plants in Russia, and $40 million to secure nuclear weapon storage sites. return to menu F. Chemical Weapons Destruction 1. First Stage of Destruction of Russia's Chemical Weapons Stockpiles Nearly Complete On April 26 the Gorny chemical weapons-destruction facility, located in the Saratov region, will complete the first stage of disposing of the category-1 toxic agents. They are 400 tonnes of yperite, or 1 percent of Russia's war gas stockpiles. In this way, Russia "is abiding by its obligations under the chemical arms ban convention," the RIA Novosti correspondent was told on Thursday by the press service of the presidential plenipotentiary in the Volga federal district. The destruction of yperite will be over one month before the deadline /May 31/ set by the executive committee of the Chemical Arms Ban Organization, said the press service. Sergei Kiriyenko, chairman of the state commission for the destruction of chemical weapons and presidential plenipotentiary in the Volga federal district; Zinovy Pak, general director of the Russian Ammunition Agency; Dmitry Ayatskov, governor of the Saratov region; ambassadors of the foreign countries-donors of the program called Destruction of Chemical Weapon Stockpiles in the Russian Federation will monitor the process of destruction of the last part of yperite in Gorny. On the same day, an exposition History of the Creation and Destruction of Chemical Weapons in Russia will open in Saratov. In 1997 Russia ratified the international Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling, Use and Spread of Chemical Weapons. Under this convention, the Russian Federation has pledged to destroy all of its reserves of chemical weapons /40,000 tonnes of category-1 toxic agents/ as legacy of the former USSR. According to its terms, the participant state is to destroy its chemical weapons in four stages. First, 1 percent of the chemical weapons stockpiles; second, 20 percent; third, 45 percent; fourth, 100 percent of all the reserves of chemical weapons. In November 2001 Russia urgently destroyed powder charges --- category-3 toxic agents; in March 2002 phosgene charges - category-2 toxic agents. In 2002 fourth quarter, the first stage of the pilot war gas disposal plant was built in the Gorny settlement in the Saratov region. On December 2002 it began industrial destruction of category-1 toxic agents. return to menu 2. Russia to complete first stage of chemical weapons disposal ahead of schedule The chemical weapons disposal facility in Gorny in the Saratov region is planning to complete the first stage of scrapping first-category toxic substances on April 26. This is one month ahead of the time set by the executive committee of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, according to a press release issued by the Volga Federal District. It notes that during the first stage, the facility should dispose of 400 tonnes of mustard gas, which constitutes 1% of Russia's overall stock of war chemicals. Russia is scrapping chemical weapons under the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and their Destruction, which it ratified in 1997. Russia has pledged to destroy all of its war chemicals - 40,000 tonnes of toxic substances. Participating countries dispose of war chemicals in four stages: 1% at the first stage, 20% at the second, 45% at the third, and the remainder at the fourth. return to menu G. Russian Nuclear Forces 1. Ecology inspectors ban launches from Plesetsk cosmodrome The State Ecology Inspector of Arkhangelsk Region has issued an order to suspend as of 1 June 2003 all launches of the new Rokot booster from the Plesetsk cosmodrome since they violate the federal law "On the Protection of the Environment", the Main Natural Resources Department of Arkhangelsk Region said on Wednesday. According to Ivan Popov, who is in charge of the cosmodrome within the said department, this tough decision is explained by the fact that the "Rokot launching pad lacks the required purification system". The press secretary of the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Anna Patekhina, said no official documents were yet received on the suspension of Rokot launchings. "We are merely an exploiting organization," Patekhina stated, "while the project is being implemented by the Khrunichev State Science and Production Centre." The cosmodrome has received its press release, which came in reply to the suspension order. It says the Rokot is the only Russian space rocket that had passed the state ecology test. At the same time, the Khrunichev Centre admits that "work on the ecological arrangements of the complex is not over yet". A new purification project will be ready before 15 May and it is to be implemented by the end of September. The Rokot booster is one of the Khrunichev Space Centre's conversion projects. It envisages the launching of light foreign sputniks by means of Russian intercontinental RS-18 ballistic missiles, which were to be scrapped in keeping with the START-2 Treaty. It is planned to use about 100 rockets of this type. Experts believe the project will allow Russia to save approximately 170m US dollars and will give it a firmer footing on the international market of launching small space vehicles. return to menu H. Russia-North Korea 1. Russia left out in the cold This week the Kremlin has started experiencing some serious and most unwelcome consequences of being the "informal" leader of the anti-Iraq war coalition and having convened a "summit of losers" (Russia, France and Germany) in St Petersburg on April 11-12. First, Washington quite clearly hinted that it might no longer consider Russia as a member of the so-called G8 club; then Russia found itself tossed overboard from the now trilateral negotiations on the North Korea nuclear issue to be launched in Beijing on April 23. The latter, as well-informed sources in Moscow report, was considered by the Russian ruling elite as a painful slap in the face. First of all, Moscow believed that as one of the best foreign buddies of North Korea's Dear Leader Kim Jong-il, Russia could count on an honorable place at the negotiating table if Pyongyang finally agreed to multilateral consultations. Moreover, it was keen on playing a leading role in future wider multilateral negotiations focusing on regional and global security concerns over North Korea's violations of the non-proliferation regime, and involving not just China, Russia and Japan, but probably even Australia and the European Union. Well, Kim Jong-il finally has changed his stance on the framework for consultations, but Russia is out in the cold. Kim realized that there was no way to force the United States to talk to him tete-a-tete about a non-aggression pact; also, as knowledgeable people in Pyongyang are whispering, he was very much impressed by the success and especially the swiftness of the US military operation in Iraq. So, as a compromise, he decided that "trilateral" is almost the same as "bilateral" and agreed to Beijing's participation. But he completely forgot about his Russian friend, President Vladimir Putin. Diplomatic cunning and real-power calculations easily got the upper hand over the pleasant recollections of travelling by special train on the trans-Siberian railroad through Russia and receiving purebred horses as little friendly souvenirs. Easily as unpleasant a surprise for Putin is the fact that the White House also changed its position and - instead of insisting on not just China, but also Japan, Russia and South Korea at the table - quickly agreed to hold "multilateral talks", but at this stage only with the participation of China. Unlike the contemporary "Kremlin dreamers" who sit around waiting for someone to come along and finance their Utopian plans to unite the Korean peninsula by building a trans-Korean railroad connected to the trans-Siberian line and modernization of North Korean industries created with assistance of the former Soviet Union, the Americans are realists and pragmatists. The Bush administration knows very well that because of its economic, military and political might at present, China is the only important independent political player in the Pacific. China is also the only country in the world that renders real economic assistance to the Pyongyang regime and, besides, has a military treaty with North Korea. Perhaps, if this new negotiation situation had come about before the Iraq crisis, President George W Bush would have used his clout and influence and wangled an invitation for his friend Vladimir, elevating Russia's status to that of the great Pacific and Asian power it aspires to be. But now, when just two weeks ago Moscow was accusing the US of destabilizing the entire world situation with its Iraq campaign, why bother? The clear signal from Washington and humiliating message to the Russian leadership is that from now on Washington will deal only with real political players, not has-beens or wannabes. The blow delivered by Beijing to the Kremlin's self-esteem is equally serious. How could a partner, a friend with whom an essential part of the current Russian political leadership was ready to create a new military-political strategic axis, behave like this? According to reliable information from multiple sources in Tokyo and Seoul, in exchange for its help in setting up a dialogue with Pyongyang, China demanded that Russia, Japan and South Korea be removed from the framework of consultations - and Washington quickly and readily accepted. Unbelievably, the present Russian leaders have still not realized that the last thing China traditionally or at this point wants is to see active Russian participation in real decision-making in Asia. Or, for that matter, that China even less wants to see Japan play a larger political role in the region. Surprise, surprise! Unlike Russia, Japan and South Korea - after some hemming and hawing - have accepted the now-decided framework of the North Korea consultations without great reservations. They do not have Russian-style political ambitions and great-power dreams, but are seriously concerned about settling the nuclear standoff situation on the Korean peninsula by peaceful means and avoiding even the slightest possibility of military confrontation in the Far East. As for Russia, it seems that Moscow has overplayed its hand, and now it is paying the price. return to menu 2. Russia excluded from N. Korea nuclear talks Despite its hectic diplomacy around the Korean Peninsula, Russia, at least for the time being, will be barred from multilateral talks aimed at settling problems caused by Pyongyang�s withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the newspaper Izvestia reports. Talks on North Korea�s nuclear program will start in Beijing on April 23. This will be a three-way affair between the United States, North Korea and China. Americans insisted on inviting a wider range of countries, including South Korea, Russia, Japan and, perhaps, even the European Union and Australia. In Washington�s view, this would emphasize the �regional and global concern� by Pyongyang�s attempts to resume its nuclear program without international control. According to the newspaper, Moscow and the other �unwanted� were excluded from talks at the insistence of North Korea, although Moscow was seen as one of Pyongyang�s key allies until recently. It seems that diplomatic considerations outweighed North Korean leader Kim Jong Il�s pleasant memories of his train trip to Moscow and Vladivostok and dapple-gray horses he received as a birthday gift from the Russian President. Until late last week, Pyongyang insisted on bilateral talks with the United States. It was ready to abandon its nuclear program, but only in exchange for clear guarantees from the Americans, preferably in the form of a non-aggression pact and an agreement on establishing diplomatic relations. However, Washington�s hawks did not take these demands seriously. Instead, they expressed their readiness to discuss immediate dismantling of North Korea�s missile and nuclear programs and Pyongyang�s return to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty within the framework of multilateral consultations. It seems that Kim Jong Il finally gave up, the Izvestia writes. Apparently, he was impressed by the United States� �show of force� in Iraq. In the end, a compromise was reached: talks should be multilateral, but only China will be invited to join the US and North Korea. In Kim Jong Il�s view, this looks pretty similar to direct talks with Washington. However, what is more important, this format of talks shows that, apart from the United States, only China is now seen as a strong and independent player in Asia, the newspaper concludes. return to menu 3. The White House: Russia Should Take Part in the Negotiations on the Problem of the Dprk Nuclear Programme The head of the US President's administration, Andrew Card, spoke in favour of Russia's participation in the negotiations that are starting on the problem of the DPRK nuclear programme. Andrew Card, who is one of the most influential figures in the entourage of US President George W. Bush, spoke about it on Wednesday evening during his electronic "conversation" in the Internet with the visitors to the official site of the White House. It is very important that China, Russia, South Korea, Japan and the United States are working jointly to prevent North Korea from being turned into the biggest regional threat, said the head of the White House's administration. He reminded the listeners that Bush and international organisations believe it necessary for the United Nations to pay attention to the DPRK nuclear problem. China plans to take part in this by holding in its country a tripartite meeting with the participation of the United States and South Korea, and it would be very good if Russia, Japan and South Korea could also take part in this meeting, underscored Andrew Card. Card's electronic "conversation" in the Internet lasted thirty minutes and became the first experience of a high-ranking representative of the American administration talking directly with the Americans and with foreign citizens through the Internet site of the White House. On the whole, Andrew Card answered seventeen questions. According to the press service of the US President, from now on such "conversations" with the participation of the key figures of the American government will be held on a regular basis. return to menu 4. U.S. Ready To Put Russia In North Korea Talks The White House has confirmed the holding of talks between the United States and North Korea with China's participation next week, specifying that Russia, Japan and South Korea may join in "in the future", Sean McCormack said to journalists in Washington. He is the White House deputy press secretary and the official spokesman of the National Security Council under the president. We all have agreed to go on insisting that Japan, South Korea and, possibly, Russia be put in the negotiations in the future, said McCormack. So far, only China will participate next week in the U.S.-DPRK talks on the North Korea nuclear problem, he said. We do not expect a breakthrough but hope for progress at the upcoming negotiations, said the spokesman of the National Security Council under the American president. return to menu I. Nuclear Safety 1. Russia Satisfied With Nuclear Facilities Safety The Russian Atomic Energy Ministry is satisfied with safety levels at Russian nuclear facilities, according to Gennady Novikov, the head of the ministry's Department for Emergency Situations. Novikov was speaking today at a conference entitled 'Strategic risks in emergency situations: evaluations and predictions.' Novikov said that the ministry's enterprises rank 3rd in Russian industry for employee safety, and that Russia's nuclear power stations are the second most reliable in the world, trailing only Japan. He said that since 1993 the number of violations of working practice at nuclear power stations had fallen by two thirds, and the last accident at a nuclear power station was recorded in 1997. Nevertheless, the Atomic Energy Ministry is concerned by the rising threat of nuclear terrorism and environmental safety problems arising from the decommissioning of nuclear submarines. Novikov stressed that the ministry's experts would be devoting their attention to these issues over the next few years. return to menu J. Nuclear Industry 1. Russian Energy Machine Builder Reports 67 Percent Increase in Profits for 2002 Total sales in 2002 for energy machine building concern Siloviye Mashiny increased by 32 percent in comparison with 2001 and reached USD 330.483 million. Profits increased by 67 percent and reached USD 38.83 million. Orders on hand also increased by 22.5 percent and reached USD 1237.406 million. A spokesperson for the concern told Rosbalt that in 2002 Siloviye Mashiny completed large orders for delivering equipment for nuclear power plants 'Tyanvan' (China) and 'Busher' (Iran). In part, the orders included 1000-megawatt steam turbines and 1000-megawatt turbine generator for the construction of 'Tyanvan' nuclear power plant, and one 1000-megawatt turbine for the 'Busher' nuclear power plant. Moreover, the concern produced and delivered one 190-megawatt hydro turbine and two 335-megawatt hydro generators for the Bureiskaya hydroelectric power plant. In addition, in 2002 Siloviye Mashiny produced and delivered equipment for the Lukomlskaya thermal power plant (Belarus), 'Yusifiya' thermal power plant (Iraq), Hevinomysskaya thermal power plant, Orskaya thermal power plant, Tyumenskaya thermal power plant, Balkhashskaya thermal power plant (Kazakstan), Zhezkazganskaya thermal power plant (Kazakstan), Krasnoyarskaya hydro electric power plant, and other power plants in different countries. Among the larger contracts concluded by Siloviye Mashiny in 2002 were contracts for the delivery of equipment for two blocks of the Indian nuclear power plant 'Kudankulam' (USD 200 million), complete shipment of equipment for a steam gas cycle for Kalingradskaya thermal power station-2, combined-cycle plant-450 (USD 150 million), equipment for hydro electric power plants 'Sesan-3' and 'Pleikrong' in Vietnam (approximately USD 100 million), and hydro electric power plant 'Makkul' in Iraq (USD 77 million). Siloviye Mashiny is part of the Leningradsky Metal Factory, open joint stock company Elektrosila, Turbine Shovel Factory, Kaluzhsky Turbine Factory, and Energomashexport. The main shareholders in the concern are Interros holding, which is headed by Vladimir Potanin and his partners (94.27 percent) and German company Siemens(4.93 percent). return to menu 2. Russia to increase uranium production In the next 10 to 12 years, Russia is planning to increase uranium production to 17,000 tons, First Deputy Atomic Minister of Russia Mikhail Solonin stated at a round-table meeting at the Russian Federation Council today. According to him, currently Russia produces about 13,000 tons of natural uranium per year. The country annually exports about 10,100 tons of natural uranium; Russian nuclear power plants use 6,800 tons of uranium per year. Solonin also pointed out that the total explored reserves of uranium in Russia amounted to 165,000 tons to date. According to the senior official, their prime cost is less than $80 per kilogram, including 56,000 tons with prime cost less than $40 per kilogram. According to the data of the Atomic Ministry, the total amount of explored reserves of uranium in the world is 3.5 million tons. Every year 32,000 to 37,000 tons of natural uranium are produced around the planet. The most considerable uranium reserves are in Australia, Kazakhstan and Canada. Russia is the seventh country in the world regarding its volume of uranium reserves. return to menu 3. Kirghizia to Stop Uranium-Ore Production and Storage Russia and Kirghizia agreed to shut down uranium-ore production facilities on Kirghiz territory. Nor will such ore be stored in that republic from now on. Nikolai Shingarev from the Russian Nuclear Energy Ministry's press center says that various compounds storing the last Kirghiz uranium-ore batches will be shut down in line with bilateral accords. Moreover, local uranium quarries and mines will be reclaimed. Russian and Kirghiz experts estimate that the entire project will cost some 9 million dollars. In Shingarev's words, Russia is ready to provide the required production forms and records, and to take in financing the project. It has been decided to establish a Russian-Kirghiz-Kazakh joint venture that will be producing uranium ores at Kazakhstan's Zarechye deposit, Shingarev went on to say. It was also suggested that the Kara-Baltinsky ore-processing factory of Kirghizia use its technical potential for processing and dressing Zarechye uranium ores, Shingarev noted in conclusion. return to menu 4. A. Rumyantsev: Russian nuclear fuel quality will promote its export High quality and new legislation will increase the export of the Russian nuclear fuel, as Minister of RF of atomic energy Alexander Rumyantsev reportedly said at the press conference held at JSC Mashinostroitelny Zavod (Elemash) in the city of Electrostal. Answering the Nuclear.Ru question concerning Minatom�s strategy on the nuclear fuel world market, he noted that �the new legislation creates the basis for strengthening our positions on the world market, since it make legitimate the return of irradiated nuclear fuel to Russia�. �Having supplied fresh fuel, we would take it back for certain and by law,� Minister Rumyantsev said. In addition, as the Minister said, the Russian fuel demonstrates high quality and performance because of continuous research and development. The Russian fuel performs better than any other in the world at all nuclear power plants built to our designs, for example, at Paks in Hungary, Loviisa in Finland, and Dukovany in the Czech Republic which have heist load factors (up to 92-93%),� stressed the Minister. According to the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO), Loviisa and Paks nuclear plants are considered the best facilities of the recent years. �They are a perfect example of NPP operation and fuel at these plants withstands all modes the feature other fuel designs are lacking of,� Rumyantsev said. He believes that the export potential of the Russian nuclear fuel will be supported by its high quality, legislation and managerial efforts. The Minister also noted that nuclear fuel fabricated by the Russian enterprises is supplied not only to nuclear plant built to the soviet-era designs but to the plants constructed by European concern Framatome ANP. �In this case we deal with so-called maneuver fuel,� he explained saying that generally nuclear power plants operate in the base-load mode, i.e. at the approached steady power level. Still, there is a maneuvering mode where the power level is increased or decreased depending on electricity needs. �We have been supplying maneuver fuel to Framatome ANP for several years already, no failures so far,� Minister Rumyantsev noted. return to menu 5. Russian company plans massive marketing campaign to sell nuclear power plant to Finland - Chernobyl anniversary kickoff date for PR move The Russian Atomstroyexport is planning a massive marketing campaign aimed at selling a nuclear power to Finland. The company hopes to persuade both the Finnish public and nuclear experts that Russia should supply Finland with its fifth commercial nuclear reactor. The campaign includes a web site aimed at convincing the Finnish people that Russian nuclear power is a safe and cost-effective option. The company hopes to enlist a number of experienced Finnish experts in the energy field, including Jaakko Ihamuotila, the former director-general of the oil company Neste. The Russians also hope to use Finland as a springboard for the marketing of its nuclear technology in other Western countries - either for refurbishment of ageing plants, or the construction of new ones. The Finnish power company TVO is to choose the supplier of the fifth nuclear reactor by the end of this year. The deadline for the bids was the end of March. In addition to Atomstroy, France's Framatome and the American company General Electric have submitted bids for the contract. Another US company, Westinghouse, was expected to join the fray, but unexpectedly decided not to submit a bid. The Russians' main problem is the poor reputation that the country's nuclear industry still has in the West. Although international assessments have long given a green light to Russian expertise, the industry has not managed to make significant inroads in Western projects. Finland is the exception in this. Both reactors of the Loviisa nuclear power plant on Finland's south coast came from the Soviet Union, and the whole project was carried out together with Finnish builders and planners. The construction of the Loviisa plant took place in the 1970s, at a time when political considerations played an important role in the decision-making. To strike a geopolitical balance, Finland's other two commercial reactors, in Olkiluoto on the west coast, were built mainly using Swedish technology. This time, TVO has made it clear to Russian politicians that with Finland in the European Union, political considerations are no longer important. However, as Finland has had experience with nuclear energy of Russian origin, Atomstroy is confident that it has a chance in the competition. Atomstroyexport recently set up a Finnish subsidiary called Oivavoima Oy, whose managing director Jari Anttila is an engineer who used to work for Fortum Engineering, a subsidiary of the Finnish Fortum energy group. Anttila is now busy setting up an office in Helsinki aimed at establishing a network of partners and subcontractors capable of building a nuclear power plant. Anttila adds that if Atomstroy gets the contract, it would bring significant work for Finnish engineers and subcontractors. "No matter what the decision, we hope that the network that comes about could be utilised in nuclear projects elsewhere", Anttila says. Although the final decision will be made within a small circle, Atomstroyexport is planning an extensive public relations campaign aimed at the Finnish public at large. The company's Helsinki office is to be ceremoniously opened on April 26, which happens to be the anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. On that day the company will launch its Finnish-language web site aimed at convincing the Finnish public that Russian nuclear energy is safe. return to menu 6. Russia To Supply Nuclear Fuel To Netherlands ELEKTROSTAL - Russia will begin supplying nuclear fuel to the Netherlands shortly. The fuel will be made by the Machine-Building Plant in Elektrostal, Moscow region. It has launched a new line that will process enriched uranium into uranium dioxide that can be used as nuclear fuel for all types of reactors, Alexander Nyago, the president of the corporation TVEL, which comprises the Machine-Building Plant, said on Wednesday. "We already supply nuclear fuel to Germany, Sweden and Switzerland. This year our products will go to Holland", he said. The new line will increase the output of nuclear fuel by 400 tonnes a year. "The new equipment meets the strictest nuclear and radiation safety requirements", he added. In his words, "there are only a few facilities in the world that make such products, and we are as good in terms of quality as any other company", Nyago said. return to menu 7. Russia Aims To Double Nuclear Power Output By 2020 Russia is aiming to double nuclear power generation by 2020, the Interfax news agency reported on Wednesday quoting official figures from the Energy Ministry. According to two possible scenarios outlined in the documents obtained by Interfax, Moscow expects nuclear power to generate between 270 billion and 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2020 - around twice the 140 billion kWh produced last year. A senior ministry official told the agency that the increase would be achieved through "the construction of new production units, modernization of existing units and the use of new techniques". Nuclear power currently accounts for 11 percent of Russia's total electricity output, according to last year's data. Interfax reported that the government plans to build five new reactors by 2010. Russia currently has 30 civil nuclear reactors in service at its 10 nuclear power plants. return to menu 8. Russia To Supply Nuclear Fuel To China A world leader in nuclear fuel production, the TVEL company, will start delivering nuclear fuel for the first section of the nuclear power plant built by Russia in Tianwan, China, this year, the company itself has reported. "Fuel deliveries will begin in the third quarter," a company spokesman added. According to the Atomic Energy Ministry, Atomstroyeksport, which is building the plant under a R3bn contract, is planning to commission the station's first power unit in 2003. The facility will have two power units with a combined capacity of 2,000 megawatts. It will have two water-cooled reactors of the VVER-1000 type. The Atomenergoproyekt research institute is the general designer of the plant. Several other major high-tech companies from St Petersburg are also involved: the reactors are being made at the Izhora Works, generators at Elektrosila, and turbines at the Leningrad Metal Plant. return to menu K. Links of Interest 1. ACT Interviews Undersecretary Bolton on North Korea return to menu 2. UN Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs Jayantha Dhanapala Speaks to CNS: "Can Counterproliferation Work?" return to menu 3. U.S.-Russia Partnership: A Casualty of War? return to menu 4. Inventory of International Nonproliferation Organizations & Regimes � 2002 Edition return to menu DISCLAIMER: Nuclear News is presented for informational purposes only. Views presented in any given article are those of the individual author or source and not of RANSAC. RANSAC takes no responsibility for the technical accuracy of information contained in any article presented in Nuclear News. RANSAC's Nuclear News is compiled two to three times weekly. If you would like to be removed from our mailing list or if you have questions/comments/concerns, please reply tonews@216.119.87.134 |
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