Rosatom completes uranium tailings dump remediation in Tajikistan ahead of schedule

DUSHANBE. Oct 4 (Interfax) - Rosatom Group, Russia's state nuclear corporation, has completed the remediation of the tailings dump of the Taboshar low-grade uranium ore plant in Tajikistan, the Russian trade mission in the Central Asian country reported.

Rosatom has completely carried out the measures of the project to remediate the plant dump and four tailings dumps at the Taboshar industrial site near the city of Istiklol, Sughd Province in northern Tajikistan, the mission said. The work was completed ahead of schedule.

As a result, "background radiation within the perimeter of the remediated sites has fallen to a natural level, which has been confirmed by the monitoring data of the Chemical, Biological, Radiation and Nuclear Safety Agency of the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan," the mission said.

Rosatom said the remediation contract was carried out by the Central Design and Technology Institute of the group's nuclear fuel division TVEL.

"The remediation of facilities at the Taboshar industrial site is JSC TVEL's first project in the CIS. The completion of the project was planned for the end of 2023," Rosatom said in a statement on its website.

As part of the development of international cooperation, TVEL will hold a number of expert group meetings over the next year in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus and Tajikistan to work out issues concerning the decommissioning of nuclear and radioactive facilities, management of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel, and development of technical solutions, technology and human resource potential, Rosatom said.

This is expected to result in the development of a concept for laws, regulations and standards to regulate activities in the area of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel management and decommissioning of nuclear and radioactive facilities in CIS countries and a comprehensive program to make nuclear legacy sites in these countries safe.