Termination of these transports end of 2010 results from the completion of a commercial contract that the parties decided not to renew back in 2006. The final transport of AREVA's depleted uranium to Russia, within the scope of this contract, will occur as planned in the weeks to come
- By Linton Levy -
Despite explanations provided by AREVA, the press this week-end reports Greenpeace's allegations that the AREVA group decided to end transports of depleted uranium to the Russian enriching company Tenex this year, suggesting that this decision was made due to pressure from the anti-nuclear organization. These claims are completely unfounded.
Termination of these transports end of 2010 results from the completion of a commercial contract that the parties decided not to renew back in 2006. The final transport of AREVA's depleted uranium to Russia, within the scope of this contract, will occur as planned in the weeks to come. This topic was raised during an Haut Comité à la Transparence (Transparency committee) meeting back in November 2009 in presence of Greenpeace representative, Mr. Yannick Rousselet. In addition, Mr. Rousselet contributes to the drafting of the Haut Comité à la Transparence report on the fuel cycle in which the transport termination deadline is referred to.
For Jacques-Emmanuel Saulnier, AREVA spokesperson, « This situation illustrates that Greenpeace has extensive imagination but little memory. Locked in its anti-nuclear dogma, Greenpeace is once again fighting the wrong battle. »
In April, Greenpeace vandals tore up train rails to stop a nuclear waste shipment to Russia. According to a report by RIA Novosti, Greenpeace activists tore up the train track near the Tricastin Nuclear Power Center in southeast France to stop a shipment of nuclear waste to Russia, the organization said. Depleted uranium hexafluoride was due to be transported via rail to the port of Le Havre and on to St. Petersburg.
"Yet another Greenpeace protest is a clear manipulation of public consciousness. They [Greenpeace activists] demanding the halt of shipments while it was widely known in 2006 that deliveries of uranium hexafluoride expire in 2010. Each time a shipment occurs, they chain themselves to the train tracks and put their heads on the tracks pretending to fight against further deliveries which will not take place after 2010," Rosatom spokesman Sergei Novikov said, adding that the protestors are "drawing attention to an issue that doesn't exist."
Activists say that shipments of nuclear waste to Russia violate French law and an EU directive banning the import and export of dangerous waste. In February, activists held several protests against nuclear waste transportation to Russia and its storage in the country.
"Today we held a protest to prevent the shipment of French spent nuclear fuel to Russia and to make officials stop trading in nuclear waste," Greenpeace France anti-nuclear program coordinator, Yannick Rousselet said.
"The French side sells this allegedly valuable material to Rosatom for a symbolic price while the real uranium costs 150 times as much," Greenpeace Russia energy program chief, Vladimir Tchouprov said.
However, he said that Greenpeace had no plans to hold similar protests in Russia.
"In Russia, taking apart rails is fraught with serious consequences," Tchouprov said referring to routinely tough response by Russian authorities to any action they deem as a security threat.
Earlier in March, Greenpeace activists called on French company Areva to cease nuclear waste exports to Russia. Protestors rallied outside Areva's Moscow office and displayed a banner reading "Russia is not a dump".