Russia, Germany to conduct joint research into handling radioactive waste
MOSCOW. Sept 9 (Interfax) - Russia and Germany will conduct joint research into handling radioactive waste (RAW), according to the National Operator for Radioactive Waste Management (NO RWM, a Rosatom subsidiary).
In a statement published on Rosatom's website, NO RWM said that it had signed an international agreement on scientific cooperation together with the Nuclear Safety Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Germany's Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), BGE Technology GmbH, and Global Research for Safety (GRS), which conduct research and develop approaches to handling RAW and isolating it in deep geological formations.
The agreement concerns cooperation in researching how to handle RAW and sharing expertise in the construction, operation, and closing of facilities for the final isolation of RAW, as well as the confirmation of long-term safety when waste is stored in deep geological formations.
"For us, this cooperation is the next step on the path toward creating an international expert assessment for the company's projects," NO RWM head Igor Igin was quoted as saying. "Above all, this concerns the most science-intensive project: an underground research laboratory at the Nizhnekansky Massif."
The document represents the continuation of Russian-German scientific cooperation in the sphere of nuclear safety and research into the burial of RAW. As the countries' systems for handling waste developed, special operators were created for that purpose; they, together with the sides' leading research institutes, are now the main participants in the partnership.