Plutonium can be disposed of

On May 11, the government approved the draft federal law “On the ratification of the Agreement between the Government of Russia and the United States on the disposal of weapons-grade plutonium.” The document, signed on August 29 last year, provides for the disposal of plutonium, no longer needed for defense, as fuel for nuclear reactors. According to Russian and Western experts, the implementation of the full scope of work under this program requires funding in the amount of $2 billion.

According to the terms of the agreement, the United States undertakes to allocate $200 million for the implementation of this program. There is also the possibility of increasing this amount as work progresses. The bulk of the funds should be covered by creating an international project financing mechanism. Under the agreement, Russia has the right not to begin construction of weapons-grade plutonium disposal facilities until an international fund is created to finance the work at a disposal rate of 2 metric tons per year.

According to the Ministry of Atomic Energy, Russia can begin implementation of design work immediately after the Americans allocate the first tranche in the amount of $70 million. However, to receive these funds, as well as to create an international fund, ratification of the Russian-American agreement by the State Duma is necessary. The terms of the document in some points contradict Russian legislation, in particular this concerns tax and customs benefits.

However, according to Russian experts, ratification of the document by the State Duma does not mean that the agreement will immediately work. Ultimately, everything will depend on how the new US administration sees the future of the plutonium disposition program and how much it intends to finance this project. The program was prepared and signed under Clinton. After the change of ownership of the White House, the new US President George W. Bush spoke about the possibility of revising financial assistance programs for Russia, including the “plutonium” agreement. But if the status quo is maintained, according to the Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy, the implementation of the agreement will attract a significant amount of funding from abroad.

Olga ANTONOVA