Report on the Development of Nuclear Towns and Cities
STATE ATOMIC ENERGY CORPORATION ROSATOM / PUBLIC REPORT / 290
in 2023. Long-term plans include the construction of industrial medicine centres, repairs to outpatient
clinics, the construction of housing for medical personnel, and the purchase of diagnostic equipment
with financial support from ROSATOM and the FMBA of Russia. In 2022, the Healthcare Commission of the
Public Council provided public oversight of the implementation of the project.
Environmental Commission
ROSATOM takes an active part in the implementation of the Ecology National Project and is involved in
three federal projects forming part of the Ecology National Project: Infrastructure for the Management of
Hazard Class 1 and 2 Waste, Clean Country and Preservation of Lake Baikal. The Environmental Commission
actively assisted in organising over 45 events involving the general public and in conducting public reviews of
ROSATOM's project implementation.
Traditionally, the Working Group on the Safe Management of Radioactive Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel
and Decommissioning of Facilities Posing Nuclear and Radiation Hazards functions under the Environmental
Commission.
In order to improve transparency and public oversight and raise awareness among local communities, public
monitoring of the system for permanent isolation of radioactive waste and for ensuring that its storage is safe
for local residents and the environment was conducted in 2022.
A conference held on 15 and 16 November in Murmansk was devoted to the results of efforts to eliminate
the nuclear legacy in the North-West. It was organised by ROSATOM's Public Council and the Directorate
for Public Policy on Radioactive Waste, Spent Nuclear Fuel and Nuclear Decommissioning. On the first day
of the conference, presentations were made by ROSATOM's representatives, specialists from the relevant
enterprises and scientists from the Kola Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. On the second day,
a technical tour of Andreev Bay was organised for the conference participants, where specialists from the
North-West Centre for Radioactive Waste Management (SevRAO) provided the conference participants with
a detailed overview of the results of the work performed at the site and plans for the future.
An expert opinion of epidemiologists was obtained to confirm the compliance of the site with the requirements
of sanitary regulations. The participants and experts attending the event confirmed the high importance of
projects to eliminate the nuclear legacy, especially in such a densely populated city as Moscow, and noted the
significant contribution of the Programme to improving the country's environmental safety.
In 2022, activities hosted by the EcoStart platform, a unique educational environmental platform designed to
help schoolchildren and students to develop project- and technology-oriented thinking, were conducted in
the CATF of Novouralsk (Sverdlovsk Region). Schoolchildren and students from 11 educational institutions of
Novouralsk take part in the platform's activities. Research, methodological, informational and organisational
support for project activities of the platform's participants is provided by the Environmental Projects
Consulting Institute (Autonomous Non-Profit Organisation), the Novouralsk Administration, JSC UEIP, FSUE
National Operator for Radioactive Waste Management (NO RWM) in Novouralsk, MUE Vodokanal, etc. In
2022, the participants of the EcoStart platform independently identified the town's current environmental
problems and began to develop more than 20 youth environmental research projects, 12 of which were
presented at the final town-wide conference. The final conference was attended by 50 participants, including
schoolchildren, teachers, students, representatives of the town administration and enterprises. Educational,
research and practical events were held as part of the EcoStart platform; these included video conferences
to discuss youth project initiatives aimed at addressing current urban environmental problems, practical
research training, a colloquium and research consultations aimed at helping schoolchildren and students to
develop project-oriented skills in the field of environmental protection and in the social sphere.
In 2023, the Environmental Commission will review not only the traditional areas of the Corporation's business
in the field of nuclear power development, but also advanced new areas, such as wind power, innovative
materials and digital software products. The Commission will place a special emphasis on ROSATOM's
environmental and educational projects.
Regional Development Commission
In 2022, two meetings were held with academics and industry researchers to discuss the prospects of
sustainable development of nuclear towns and cities. Forming an expert community and establishing an
expert agenda is a vital prerequisite for successful implementation of spatial and regional development
models in the current environment. Approaches to the work of the Commission were developed for 2023.
They can be generally described as the Knowledge Community, which involves leveraging collective
mechanisms and points of convergence for the expert community whose members have, among other
things, practical experience and empirical knowledge across a variety of human activities such as business,
philosophy, design, ecology and economics, in order to identify areas for the development of nuclear
towns and cities.
Presentations and discussions on the application of an infrastructure- and service-oriented approach
to the development of towns and cities with high science and technology potential were hosted by the
Civic Chamber, the Agency for Strategic Initiatives and the Centre for Strategic Research. A presentation
was made at the Strategic Planning Leaders Forum in Saint Petersburg. Work with local communities and
indigenous peoples of the North was started. A specialised round-table discussion was organised as part
the business programme of the Art and Industry Exhibition in 2022. As part of the Priority 2030 programme,
MGIMO University prepared a research paper titled 'Consequences and Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic
on the Population in the Arctic'.
Commission on the Russian Arctic and the NSR
In 2022, the Commission focused on research and environmental safety monitoring above and below water
along the Northern Sea Route (NSR), as well as public oversight of the implementation of the instructions of
the President of the Russian Federation to approve the NSR development plan until 2035. The Commission
members were provided with progress updates on the implementation of the NSR development plan,
including the construction of the icebreaker fleet, the performance of the Marine Operations Headquarters,
the performance of the hydrographic enterprise, the renovation of port infrastructure, etc. A separate report
was made on the roll-out of an integrated platform for digital services provided along the NSR.
In 2022, a cooperation agreement was signed between ROSATOM and the Marine Research Centre of
Lomonosov Moscow State University. The purpose of the cooperation agreement is to continue comprehensive
research and environmental safety monitoring above and below water in the Arctic waters of the Russian
Federation in 2022 and 2023. The efforts of the Marine Research Centre of Lomonosov Moscow State University
and the international expert community made it possible to carry out unique comprehensive studies at 50
monitoring stations along the NSR in 2021 and 2022. The key conclusion based on the findings of these studies
is that commercial shipping does not currently have any significant impact on marine ecosystems in the Arctic.
Research carried out this year will inform the development of a comprehensive environmental monitoring
programme covering the NSR, which is expected to form the basis of a separate state environmental monitoring
subsystem.
In 2022, the Commission members made a technical tour to Murmansk. During the tour, they visited the Arktika
icebreaker, which is the flagship of the Russian nuclear-powered fleet, and were provided with an overview
of the activities of the Marine Operations Headquarters.
REPORT ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF NUCLEAR TOWNS AND CITIES
REPORT ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF NUCLEAR TOWNS AND CITIES
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