Axpo says no to uranium from Mayak

Monday, 14 November 2011 Swiss nuclear utility Axpo has instructed its fuel supplier to exclude uranium processed at Russia's Mayak plant from its supply chain pending the completion of environmental investigations.

Beznau: no U from Mayak (Image: Axpo)

Axpo owns the Beznau nuclear power station as well as stakes in the Gösgen and Leibstadt plants. It has been carrying out investigations into the quality and safety credentials of the Mayak processing plant near Chelyabinsk and at the Siberian Chemical Combine (SCC) in Seversk following criticisms from environmental groups. In the process of its investigations, Axpo was given access to Seversk by the plant's operators and had been due to visit Mayak in June, but was denied access to the plant, which is in a military area, at the last minute.

The company now says it has been able to complete enough work to enable it to conclude that current production at both plants meets statutory requirements and does not pose an environmental threat. However, its failure to gain access to Mayak means that it has now instructed its fuel supplier, Areva, to exclude uranium from Mayak from its supply chain until such time as the chain can be fully monitored. Instead, it will use fuel from the SCC plant in Seversk.

The company's findings note that the area around both plants has suffered from past contamination - in 1957 Mayak was the site of a major accident related to military nuclear activity when a non-nuclear explosion caused a release of radioactivity. The company also noted storage processes at both sites which would not be permissible in European operations, although these did not contravene Russian regulations. After evaluating all its findings, Axpo concluded that it could see no reason to withdraw from existing fuel supply contracts and suggested that maintaining contracts would be more likely to have a positive effect towards improving the situation.

Axpo said it would continue to monitor the situation at the Russian plants together with Russian operators and authorities, as well as exchanging information with international experts and environmental organisations to ensure that any new developments are detected "in good time". In particular the company is calling for further independent measurements of the radiological situation in the Techa river to be carried out.

Greenpeace Switzerland, in a post on its blog, welcomed Axpo's move towards greater transparency but questioned its decision to continue to source uranium from Seversk.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News