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Russia 'to take Swiss nuclear waste'

The scheme is described in an investigation by BBC's The Money Programme into how countries are trying to find new ways of solving the $200bn nuclear waste problem.

Environmentalists are becoming increasingly concerned about the growing stockpiles of contaminated nuclear waste around the world.

The Swiss have five nuclear reactors - which provide 40% of their electricity - and as yet, nowhere to put the waste.

Meanwhile, Russia is desperate for foreign currency at a time of great economic uncertainty for a country which is struggling to cope with its own nuclear pollution.

According to documents leaked to Greenpeace earlier this year, Russian ministry officials struck a preliminary agreement with Swiss electricity companies in Zurich late in 1998.

30-year commitment

Under the agreement the Swiss electricity companies will pay Russia around $2bn to send 2,000 tonnes of spent nuclear fuel to the country over the next 30 years.

However, this will be nowhere near the tens of billions of dollars experts believe Russia needs to sort out its own nuclear contamination.

Other leaked documents show Russia now wants to offer the same kind of deal to half a dozen nuclear states - including Germany and Spain.

The development is particulary worrying for environmentalists given the region's terrible track record of nuclear safety.

The explosion at the Soviet nuclear plant at Chernobyl in 1986 shook the world and brought devastation to large parts of Ukraine and Belarus. But that was only one of a series of dangerous accidents.

The situation is made worse by concerns that Russia can neither account for all its radioactive material, nor afford to pay its nuclear workers regularly.

'Frightening proposal'

Dr Helen Wallace, of Greenpeace, said: "It's an extremely frightening proposal and it's obviously very morally questionable.

"The people of Russia are being asked to take waste simply because they are short of cash and certain people in Russia want more money. It doesn't actually mean that the people living there who're going to be affected would find it acceptable. In addition to that, you're talking about a secret deal that's going to make the problem worse."

The problem on nuclear waste is likely to escalate over the next few years.

Overall 31 countries have nuclear power. Between them they turn out over 10,000 tonnes of radioactive waste a year. An ever increasing stockpile of some of the most toxic substances known to man.

There are other plans to deal with the situation such as digging a huge cavern in the Australian outback - a scheme devised by British Nuclear Fuels but turned down by the Australian Government.

However, campaigners argue that the waste could leak back into the water supply and contaminate the local environment.

This is a problem with no easy solutions.

A special report on nuclear waste will be broadcast on The Money Programme on BBC 2 at 1840 BST on Sunday 2 May.

Relevant Stories

Russian nuclear worries (04 Mar 99 | Europe)
UK cash for Russian nuclear clear-up (03 Mar 99 | UK Politics)
Russia's growing nuclear dustbin (03 Mar 99 | Europe)
Australia rebuffs nuclear dump idea (08 Dec 98 | Asia-Pacific)

Internet Links

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Greenpeace

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