Russian atomic energy reaches critical masses
- Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Moscow (Russian Federation)
With more than 200 malfunctions recorded in the early 1990`s the outmoded nuclear reactors in the former Soviet Union are in critical condition. Unfortunatly, there may not be enough money to monitor them, much less update them, says Artiom Ustinov, an expert in the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow. In on short decade, Russia`s nuclear research budget has been slashed from $1.5 billion to $250 million. That amount of money simply cannot be stretched far enough to address safety issues, Ustinov says. {open_quotes}Currently, nuclear reactors in the former Soviet Union pose a greater environmental threat than ever before,{close_quotes} ustinov says. {open_quotes}In fact, almost half the nuclear power plants operating in Russia today are Chernobyl-like.{close_quotes} and most of these facilities are located in such large industrial centers as Moscow and st. Petersburg, Ustinov says. The future of nuclear power in the Soviet Union remains cloudy, Ustinov concludes. {open_quotes}It is likely that the legacy of its development will continue to generate electricity-and controversy-in the years ahead.{close_quotes}
- OSTI ID:
- 255285
- Journal Information:
- Forum for Applied Research and Public Policy, Vol. 11, Issue 1; Other Information: PBD: Spr 1996
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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