Finnish company IVO Power Engineering Ltd. has started preparations to move their radioactive water processing facility "Nures" to Andreeva guba, the Northern Fleet storage site for used nuclear fuel and radioactive waste. Only Russian personell will be allowed at the navy base.
IVO Power Engineering Ltd. and Murmansk Shipping Company signed an agreement in the end of December 1996, on delivery of "Nures" to "Atomflot", the nuclear-powered ice-breakers' base in Murmansk. In February the partners joined with the Northern Fleet, signing a letter of intent on installation of the facility at the navy base at Andreeva guba.
"Nures" has a capacity of 200 litres per hour, and has successfully processed 150 cubic meters of low salted radioactive water from the storage facilities of Murmansk Shipping Company. The next 150 cubic meters of radioactive water to be processed at "Atomflot", will contain higher grades of salts and chemicals. The facility operates on a sorbation principle, prompting replacement of the filters after each 100 cubic meters of liquid waste processed. On March 12 this year, "Atomflot" received four filters after a month-long fight with the Russian customs.
At Andreeva guba, the Northern Fleet has set two conditions: That the actual processing is performed by Russian specialists from "Atomflot"; and that additional pipelines are constructed. Apparently the Finnish side will agree to this and finance the additional construction works. Given stable funding, the preparatory works should be carried out within four months. The amount of waste to be processed at the Northern Fleet storage site is somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 cubic meters.
Blinov Vladimir, press-centre of Murmansk Shipping Company, 1997-03-20
"Polyarnaya Pravda", 1997-03-19 and 13