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Four nuclear sites in Russia at risk from fires

The Mayak plant can process 400 tonnes of waste a year. It was the scene of one of the former Soviet Union’s major nuclear disasters in 1957 when a liquid waste accident affected some 260,000 people and forced the evacuation of several towns.

Russia nuclear sites under threat from the flames, Khaleej Times, (AFP)9 August 2010, MOSCOW — Here is a list of sensitive nuclear sites threatened by the spread of fires raging in Russia since late July.·

1.THE MAYAK COMPLEX Russian authorities have declared a state of emergency in the Urals town of Ozersk, some 2,000 kilometres (1,242 miles) to the east of Moscow and home to major nuclear reprocessing and stockage plant Mayak.

The Mayak plant can process 400 tonnes of waste a year. It was the scene of one of the former Soviet Union’s major nuclear disasters in 1957 when a liquid waste accident affected some 260,000 people and forced the evacuation of several towns.

2.SNEZHINSK NUCLEAR PLANT The Snezhinsk centre, which makes nuclear weapons, is located in another town in the Urals some 1,500 kilometres (925 miles) east of Moscow. On Sunday the Russian emergencies ministry called on its services to work round the clock to put out a fire threatening the centre.

3. SAROV NUCLEAR PLANT Russia’s other major nuclear centre at Sarov in the Nizhny Novgorod region, 500 kilometres (310 miles) to the east of Moscow, has also been threatened by blazes……

4. The defence ministry has in addition ordered that weapons, artillery and missiles at a munitions depot at Alabinsk, about 70 kilometres (43 miles) southwest of Moscow, be transferred to a secure site.

Russia nuclear sites under threat from the flames

August 10, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | environment, Russia | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive, reprocessing