Government Approved Concept for National Targeted Environmental Program for Radioactive Waste Management

At the meeting held on 4 November 2022, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine issued the Order on Approval of the Concept of the National Targeted Environmental Program for the Management of Radioactive Waste and committed the State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management to develop the draft of the Environmental Program for the Management of Radioactive Waste within a year and submit it to the Cabinet of Ministers for approval.

The new Concept provides for the analysis of the situation and identification of the problems with radioactive waste management in Ukraine; determination of the optimal options for creation of the effective radioactive waste management system; necessary steps, methods and deadlines for program implementation; expected results and assessment of financial resources required for program implementation.

For the first time, the National Targeted Environmental Program for the Management of Radioactive Waste was approved in 2008 and was aimed at implementation of the state policy in the field of radioactive waste management by 2017, however Ruslan Strilets, the Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, noted that the program turned out to be ineffective and its funding covered only the maintenance of the radioactive waste management infrastructure. Besides, as a result of the invasion of russian federation in Ukraine, some of the radiation hazardous facilities occurred on the temporarily occupied territories and combat operations were and are being conducted near some of them. That is why it is necessary to create new, integral and economically efficient radioactive waste management system which would ensure the protection of life and health of the population, personnel and the environment from the effects of ionizing radiation.

It is envisaged that new Radioactive Waste Management Program will be implemented by 2031.

According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine