1995. Approximately USD 20 mill, has been earmarked for projects in 1995, and a similar 

 amount will be available to continue this important work in 1 996. A number of projects have 

 been identified in four priority areas: 



* Safety measures at nuclear facilities. 



* Management and storage of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste. 



* Dumping of radioactive waste in the Barents- and Kara Seas, and inputs into the sea via 

 rivers in the Russian Federation. 



* Arms-related environmental hazards. 



Norway and Russia have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding concerning 

 cooperation on nuclear affairs. The Parties agreed i.a. to establish a procedure for 

 consultations at state secretary level in the respective Ministries of Foreign Affairs to facilitate 

 co-operation on projects and similar activities in the priority areas specified above, including 

 efforts to expand the political, technological and financial basis for such co-operation. 



In addition, selected nuclear issues, i.a. the Norwegian-Russian expeditions to the Kara Sea, 

 are on the agenda of the Joint Environmental Commission and its Expert Group on the 

 investigation of radioactive contamination of the Northern areas. 



Through the Report to the Storting, the Plan of Action and the MOU the Norwegian 

 Government wishes to demonstrate its strong commitment to actively participate in a 

 partnership with the Russian Federation, other countries, the EU and international 

 organizations, in addressing one of the most serious threats to security, human health, and the 

 environment. 



Norway encourages other countries to formulate domestic policies and programmes for 

 assistance to promote nuclear safety and the safe management, storage £ind disposal of spent 

 nuclear fuel and radioactive waste, in particular in the Russian Federation. 

 These policies and programmes must be matched by an appropriate organizational structure as 

 well as by sufficient funds for project implementation. 



Ill RADIOACTIVE WASTE DUMPED IN THE BARENTS- AND KARA SEAS 



The Norwegian-Russian expedition to the Kara Sea in 1992 was the first expedition to this 

 area to investigate the dumping of nuclear material with participation of western scientists. 

 The expeditions to the Tsivolki, Stepovogo and Abrosimov Fjords at Novaja Zemlja (1993, 

 1994) were the first international expeditions to the dumping sites. In addition to Norwegian 

 and Russian scientists, observers from the IAEA and EU (fi-om 1993) participated in the 

 expeditions. According to the Russian Whitebook (1993) several reactors with and without 

 spent fuel, vessels, barges, and numerous containers have been dumped in these fjords. 



The main conclusion from these expeditions is that enhanced levels of artificially produced 

 radionuclides in sediments collected in the very close vicinity of almost all localized dumped 

 objects demonstrate that some leakages occur. The highest contamination of 137Cs, 60Co, 

 90Sr, or 239,240Pu is observed in sediments collected close to dumped containers in the 

 Abrosimov and Stepovogo Fjords. 



