British Broadcasting Corporation, December 23, 2000
Excerpt from report by Russian Public TV on 21 December
Atomic Energy Minister Hails Duma Vote
[Presenter] The State Duma has adopted in the first reading draft laws which permit the import of spent nuclear fuel in Russia and its storage...
We now have a live link-up with Russian Atomic Energy Minister Yevgeniy Adamov. Yevgeniy Adamovich, hello.
[Adamov] Hello Katya.
[Q] Those who oppose the import of spent nuclear fuel in Russia and its storage are saying that the Atomic Energy Ministry's plan is directed against Russia's national interests and that our country is being turned into a nuclear dump. Their arguments are very strong. Can you calm public fears? What are your arguments?
[A] First of all it is wrong to talk about this as the Atomic Energy Ministry's plan, as the deputies themselves put forward proposals and made amendments to the law discussed by the State Duma today. I would like to say that the deputies showed their wisdom as statesmen today.
Environmentalists quite rightly mention some of the problems, whose resolution will be impossible without money. There are ways of earning the money needed in rebuilding plants, commissioning new plants and building storage facilities. We agree with the deputies on this and we can see how the money can be earned to overcome a pause of 10 or more years in our economy and in our branch of industry and to catch up to some extent with those who are ahead of us in implementing the things that we have only just begun discussing. I would like to remind you, Katya, that there are plenty of dumps in our country, but they are not nuclear dumps.
Those, let us say, in the town of Muslimo are suffering not just from the Mayak plant. They are suffering from the low quality of food and water and the poor state of health care. We should tackle all these problems. Unfortunately we are looking for problems where there aren't any. This is our national trait.
[Q] Those who back the amendments, who back spent nuclear fuel being imported into Russia, say that Russia can earn 20bn dollars from this. If the project is profitable, why is it that other developed countries choose not to take part?
[A] One could earn more than that. But once again this is a hypothetical argument. The world atomic technology market, both the current and potential one, is measured in hundreds and thousands of billion dollars. People don't waste their time by talking about this market. They are working. Both France and Great Britain are working actively on this market. They are not admitting us to this market willingly.
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