Russian parliament agrees to spent fuel imports

摘要

Russian deputies in the State Duma (lower house) on 21 December endorsed three draft laws governing the procedure for importing spent nuclear fuel for processing and storage. The first law, approved by a vote of 319-38 with six abstentions, amends the existing law "On Nature Conservation" which effectively bans the import of nuclear materials. The amendment proposes that permission should be given to bring in spent nuclear fuel from other countries for temporary storage or processing, provided that ecological and safety requirements are observed. It maintains in place an absolute ban on imports of radioactive materials for permanent storage or burial.