DECISION OF ECONOMIC COUNCIL OF COMMONWEALTH OF INDEPENDENT STATES

of December 27, 2006

About the Report "Rehabilitation of the territories of the State Parties of the Commonwealth of Independent States which underwent to activities of uranium productions"

The economic council of the Commonwealth of Independent States solved:

1. Approve the Report "Rehabilitation of the territories of the State Parties of the Commonwealth of Independent States which underwent to activities of uranium productions".

2. Note that, despite the taken measures in the territories which underwent to activities of uranium productions there exists or can be threat for health of the population and ecology of the environment of the State Parties of the CIS, and also the states, adjacent with them.

3. Ask the governments of the State Parties of the CIS to charge to competent authorities to activate efforts on the problem resolution of rehabilitation of the contaminated territories, using progressive methods and technologies in the field.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF COMMONWEALTH OF INDEPENDENT STATES

THE COMMISSION OF THE STATE PARTIES OF THE CIS ON USE OF THE ATOMIC ENERGY IN THE PEACE PURPOSES

The report "Rehabilitation of the territories of the State Parties of the Commonwealth of Independent States which underwent to activities of uranium productions"

Introduction

This Report contains data on uranium objects of five states - the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kygryzsky Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and Ukraine.

Short historical data on the considered objects, their actual state are reflected in the provided materials, the actions for rehabilitation of the territories executed earlier are described, their efficiency is analyzed, priority of objects concerning relevance and urgency of acceptance of necessary measures is determined, assessment of estimated cost and the expected results is carried out.

It should be noted that in many countries appropriate programs of the state or industry value according to the solution of the considered tasks are developed. It is characteristic that common problem for the states of the Commonwealth treated to action of uranium productions is not so much lack of projects on rehabilitation, how many absence or insufficient financing on their realization. At the same time negative role is played by time factor in this connection the condition of objects worsens and there is need for development of new projects. Besides, it is necessary to consider the raising world requirements for safety, examination of projects, procedures of licensing.

Short data on uranium objects of the Republic of Kazakhstan

The first commercial deposit of uranium was found in the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan in 1951. Afterwards a number of the fields which formed base for creation of three plants providing production and conversion of uranium ores was open:

- The Kyrgyz mining plant (1953) - in the Southern Kazakhstan;

- The virgin Mining and Chemical Combine (1957) - in Northern Kazakhstan;

- Caspian mining and smelting plant (1959) - in the Western Kazakhstan.

Within the last 40 years in the Republic of Kazakhstan development about 20 uranium fields was performed and about 40% of uranium in the former USSR were extracted. During activities of the companies of the uranium industry in the territory of the Republic about 170 million cubic meters of the radioactive waste which is subject to utilization or burial (preservation) collected. The total area subject to impact of radioactive waste of these companies, - 10000 hectares, total aktivnostpriblizitelno 250000 Ku. The characteristic of objects is provided to tab. 1.

Table 1. Characteristic of uranium objects of the Republic of Kazakhstan

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|    Наименование    |Северный |Центральный|  Южный  |Западный | Всего  |
|      объектов      |Казахстан| Казахстан |Казахстан|Казахстан|        |
|--------------------+---------+-----------+---------+---------+--------|
|Месторождения       |     34  |        6  |     23  |      2  |    65  |
|--------------------+---------+-----------+---------+---------+--------|
|Рудопроявления      |     19  |       17  |     25  |    -    |    61  |
|--------------------+---------+-----------+---------+---------+--------|
|Хвостохранилища     |      1  |        1  |    -    |      1  |     3  |
|--------------------+---------+-----------+---------+---------+--------|
|Объем отходов,      |         |           |         |         |        |
|тыс. куб. м:        |         |           |         |         |        |
|- в отвалах         |   5052,8|      593,3|   9124,3|    -    | 14770,4|
|- в хвостохранилищах|  49450,0|      420,0|    -    | 104000,0|153870,0|
|--------------------+---------+-----------+---------+---------+--------|
|Суммарный объем     |  54502,8|     1013,3|   9124,3| 104000,0|168640,4|
|отходов, тыс. куб. м|         |           |         |         |        |
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The serious attempt of sanitation of the uranium mining and overworking objects was undertaken within the all-union State program according to the treatment of radioactive waste for 1991 - 1995 and on perspective till 2005 (daleeprogramm), developed Minatomenergoprom of the USSR in 1991, but owing to certain political events did not gain further development. Till 1991 in the USSR in the territory of 23 tailings dams the different rehabilitation events on content which were coming down mainly to overlapping of tailings dams half-meter layer of clay and loamy materials were held. Similar works were carried out also in the territory of underground mines.

Now in the Republic of Kazakhstan two tailings dams are operated: Ulbinsky steel works in Ust-Kamenogorsk and hydrosteel works Kazsabton Ltd (the settlement. Factory near Stepnogorsk).

The decision of Council of Ministers of the Republic of Kazakhstan of N103 of December 31, 1992 "About urgent measures on change of radiological situation in the Republic of Kazakhstan" promoted activation of work on inspection of radiation situation in the territory of the republic. For 1993 - 1995 examination of sources of radioactive pollution in the territory of the companies of the uranium mining industry was performed.

The works performed by divisions of GCC Zharys on identification of the contaminated areas were the most large-scale on amount radio ecological researches during this period; to inspection of the dumps which are subject to recultivation; to identification of the uncontrollable and lost sources of ionizing radiation. However, despite real and notable results of works, in connection with deterioration in economy their gradual reducing up to complete cessation in 1996 began.

Nevertheless, by the uranium mining, overworking and specialized prospecting enterprises in 1993 - 1996 projects of preservation and recultivation of number of objects were developed, research works on complex radiation and ecological assessment of the closed uranium mines were performed, recultivation works on the uranium fields which are not put into operation were begun.

Unfortunately, any of the projects developed by the companies these years was not realized.

The mentioned works to some extent were used later in the course of the researches which were carried out through TACIS within Programs of NUCRJEG (1996) and BISTRO (1999).

The first project considered about 100 objects of uranium industry therefore on the most radiation dangerous factors 13 objects (3 tailings dams, 9 fields and Mayakskoye's ore occurence) requiring acceptance of urgent recultivation measures are allocated. The second project, more detailed, belonged to objects of uranium mining industry only of Jambyl area. The main attention in it was paid to the objects allocated in the first project among the most radiation dangerous - Bot-Burum's fields, Kurday and Kyzylsay. On the example of these large-scale uranium deposits fulfilled for more than 40 years the detailed analysis of radiological situation in the territory of mines and near them was this.

Similar objects are available in Northern and Central Kazakhstan.

Strategy development of actions concerning the closed uranium mining companies in this Program is based on distribution of the recommendations made for fields of the Southern Kazakhstan on objects of all other regions, recognition of the acceptability for conditions of these regions of TACIS of technique of complex assessment of risk degree of objects applied by experts and determination of their priority.

Actions for rehabilitation of the territories which underwent to activities of uranium productions in the Republic of Kazakhstan are determined by the Program of preservation of the uranium mining companies and mitigations of consequences of the development of uranium fields for 2001 - 2010 approved by the Order of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan of July 25, 2001 N1006.

The Program purpose - decrease in extent of radioactive pollution to the level providing the maximum protection of health of the population, and recovery of condition of all elements of ecosystem (water, the soil, air) to the level of the existing standard rates.

In the course of development of the Program the researches of the last years which were carried out through TACIS and also the projects of preservation and recultivation executed by the mining and prospecting companies were used.

The program provides rehabilitation measures for the uranium mining companies at which production is stopped in communication:

- with economic inexpediency of working off of fields by mining method (preservation);

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