Amendments to the Law on the Management of Spent Nuclear Fuel for the Siting, Designing and Construction of the Central Spent Fuel Storage Facility (CSFSF)

The Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Environmental Policy, Nature Resources Utilization and Elimination of the Consequences of Chernobyl Catastrophe at its meeting considered the draft Law on Amendments to Article 3 of the Law of Ukraine “On the Management of Spent Nuclear Fuel on the Location, Design and Construction of a Centralized Storage Facility of Spent Nuclear Fuel of VVER-type Nuclear Reactors of Native Nuclear Power Plants” (No.9270).

The purpose of adopting the draft law is to create guaranteed conditions for financial support for development and ensuring the full functioning of the Chernobyl Radiation and Environmental Biosphere Reserve, performing its functions in full, as well as ensuring the allocation of funds for the construction and repair of social facilities. This will be carried out within the framework of socio-economic development adjacent to the exclusion zone and the zone of unconditional (mandatory) resettlement of territories.

The draft law proposes amendments to Article 3 of the Law of Ukraine “On the Management of Spent Nuclear Fuel on the Location, Design and Construction of a Centralized Storage Facility of Spent Nuclear Fuel of VVER-type Nuclear Reactors of Native Nuclear Power Plants”, which specify that 10% of the total estimated cost for construction of a centralized storage facility goes to the socio-economic development of adjacent territories will be allocated as follows: “for construction and repair of facilities in the city of Slavutych, Ivankovsky and Polessky districts of the Kiev region, according to the list approved by the Kiev Regional State Administration – 90%; for the development of the Chernobyl Radiation-Ecological Biosphere Reserve according to the list approved by the central executive body that implements the state policy in the management of the exclusion zone and the unconditional (mandatory) resettlement zone – 10%.

According to the subject of the law of the legislative initiative, the adoption of this draft law will allow settling the problematic issues of scientific, environmental activities in the Reserve within the exclusion zone and unconditional (mandatory) resettlement, to regulate the implementation of powers of the executive authorities in this territory, as well as ensure socio-economic development of adjacent territories, construction and repair of social facilities in the city of Slavutych, Ivankovsky and Polessky districts of the Kiev region.

The main scientific and expert management in the conclusion notes that according to the results of the first reading, draft law No.9270 should be returned for revision, taking into account the comments and suggestions made.

The Committee notes that the bill does not include a financial and economic substantiation of the expediency of allocating of ten percent of the total cost of construction of the CSFFS to activities for the development of the reserve.

The Committee notes that the rehabilitation of territories contaminated with radionuclides, providing support and enhancing the barrier function of the exclusion zone and unconditional (mandatory) resettlement zone, stabilizing the hydrological regime of the territory through the creation of conditions for the proper functioning of such an important conservation object, such as the Nature Reserve, is the essential impetus for changes in the attitude to this territory, to the restoration and its return to life.

The Committee on Environmental Policy, Nature Resources Utilization and Elimination of the Consequences of Chernobyl Catastrophe recommends to adopt draft law No.9270 as a basis and generally as a law by the Verkhovna Rada.

Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine