Decommissioning Projects - Europe
(last updated 7 May 2008)
Contents:
> See also: Decommissioning Data - Europe
Contract notice in Official Journal 2004/S 135-114777, July 14, 2004
Lot No 2: Situation concerning uranium mine and mill tailings in an enlarged EU.
1) [...]
2) Short description: Obtain a detailed overview of the situation in an enlarged European Union concerning uranium mine and mill tailings, the activities being undertaken to remediate the problem and rehabilitate the areas concerned, identify best practices and expected costs and be in a position to propose harmonised standards for the long-term management of these wastes.
3) Scope or quantity: 250 000 EUR.
4) Indication about different starting/delivery date: Starting 1.1.2005 (tentative date).
Time-limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate: 20 August 2004.
> View DG Energy Transport Call for Tenders 
Under its PHARE program , the European Union appropriates ECU 2 million for
the preparation of remediation concepts for uranium mining
operations in Eastern Europe. The funds are made available under
the title "Health and biodiversity" of the Multi-
Country programme for the environment.
"This component aims to control the risk to
human health and the environment caused by past uranium mining
operations in the region. The project will increase in scope and
intensity over a four- to five-year period, enabling the nine
countries involved to carry out their own national remediation
programmes for uranium mining liabilities. The project comprises
a data collection/evaluation phase (1996) and a pilot project
phase (1997-1999)." (from 1997 project description)
> See also: The Legacy of Uranium Mining in Central and Eastern Europe, a View from the European Union , by Simon Webster and Jan Vrijen (120k PDF)
"Reconstruction of Buhovo Tailings Pond ECU 3,800,000
The Buhovo tailings pond is potentially one of the most dangerous facilities surrounding Sofia. The tailings dam of the Buhovo uranium mine was declared no longer safe some years ago and the facility producing the tailings ceased operation. The highly radioactive tailings are contained behind two adjacent dams constructed from clay. One of the dams has some drains in the downstream face but the existing pumping station at the downstream toe is derelict and contaminated water is draining from the dam into the local stream. In addition, the risk of dam failure poses enormous threats.
Phare will support the second phase of a project commenced in 1994 with Phare funding. The project is designed to minimise the risk of contamination from the tailings pond and eliminate the contamination of water by preventing this from leaving the site. The first phase of the project involved constructing a dam across the gully to intercept the water flow upstream of the tailing pond and diverting the water around the pond by means of a by-pass channel.
The second part of the project will provide financing for the following measures
- the construction of a new cut-off drain downstream of the dam, to prevent ground water contamination, and the feeding of the water to an underground reservoir from which it will be pumped back into the pond by automatically operated submersible pumps
- the addition of a substantial amount of clay fill to the downstream toe, laid on filter or drainage layers designed to intercept drainage water from the dam and prevent dam failure."
(Phare Programme Description, Programme Code: BG9807)
Decommissioning cost close to current price of uranium produced
So far, the cleanup of the Czech uranium mines has cost the government CZK 21 billion (US $778 million) since 1989, and a total cost of CZK 80 billion (US $3 billion) would be expected by 2040. (Prague Post Nov. 6, 2003)
Given the total historic Czech uranium production of approx. 108,000 metric tonnes U, the specific cleanup cost would reach $28 per kg U (or $10.8 per lb U3O8) produced. This figure is only slightly lower than the current spot market price for uranium of approx. $13 per lb U3O8. And, this specific cost figure is not far away from those incurred for the cleanup of the US UMTRA Title I uranium mill tailings sites ($14.70 per lb U3O8) and the German Wismut sites ($13.91 per lb U3O8).
U.S. Trade and Development Agency issues Presolicitation Notice for Rozná mine waste water treatment project
> View Presolicitation Notice (Apr 25, 2002)
Czech Government to fund cleanup of Rožná mine / Dolní Rožinká tailings
The state will pay at least another Kč6.5bn (EUR 211 million) for the reclamation of land hit by uranium mining in Dolní Rožinká.
(ČTK April 4, 2002)
> View older issues
New treatment plant to accelerate reclamation after uranium in-situ leach mining at Stráž pod Ralskem
Construction of a plant for mother liquors processing, aimed at cutting the time needed to clean up an area damaged by uranium mining in Stráž pod Ralskem in northern Bohemia, was launched on May 6, 2008.
The cleanup of the 27 square-kilometre area was originally expected to cost Kč 100 billion (US$ 6.2 billion) and to take 100 years. Thanks to new technologies, it will take 30 to 40 years and will cost some Kč 40 billion (US$ 2.5 billion), Industry and Trade Minister Martin Říman told journalists.
Construction of the plant will cost some Kč 2 billion (US$ 123 million) and costs of the first stage, which started on May 6, 2008, will reach Kč 1.154 billion (US$ 71 million).
(Prague Daily Monitor May 7, 2008)
Re-injection of waste brine to continue until at least 2006
As part of the groundwater cleanup programme performed at the former Stráž pod Ralskem uranium in situ leach facility in North Bohemia, contaminated groundwater is pumped from the wellfield and treated in an evaporator, concentrating the contaminants. As a stopgap measure, the evaporator condensate is returned underground into the wellfield.
"The thicker product is less mobile and less likely to spread contamination further. It is the best DIAMO can do for now, until it gets the technology to process the waste into a final product, according to Jiří Mužák, manager of DIAMO's mathematical modeling department. Although the company is working on a process to crystallize the waste, it is still in its infancy, and the company will have to keep returning the chemicals to the ground until at least 2006, said Mužák." (Prague Post Nov. 3, 1999)
A Chance for Groundwater at Stráž ?
- 4 million tonnes of sulfuric acid injected into underground
for uranium in-situ leaching in North Bohemia
- Restoration being prepared
by Peter Diehl, 9 June 1995
In-situ leaching is often presented as an environmentally
friendly method of uranium production. With in-situ leaching,
the uranium ore is not brought to the surface by conventional
mining methods, but a leaching agent is injected into the ore
deposit to dissolve the uranium. The uranium bearing liquid is
then pumped to the surface, where the uranium is recovered.
In-situ leaching, indeed, does not require extensive shafts and
galleries, nor large waste deposits, and it produces only small
amounts of waste slurries.
But the problems arise, as soon as the site is to be shut down.
That is the actual situation now of the Czech government in the
case of the in-situ leaching site of Stráž pod Ralskem in North
Bohemia. Here, 4 million tonnes of sulfuric acid have been
injected into the underground in an area of 5.7 km2
over a period of more than 25 years, to produce the raw material
for nuclear weapons and for reactor fuel.
In the leaching zone about 200 m below ground, 28 million
m3 of highly contaminated liquid containing 80 g/l of
total dissolved solids are found as a result of this acid
injection. 11 contaminants are found in concentrations of even
more than 100 times drinking water standards, with the highest
excess of 30,000 times the drinking water standard for
aluminium. The majority of the total contaminant load is caused
from sulphate at 65 g/l, exceeding the drinking water standard
260-fold.
Moreover, the contaminated liquid migrated away from the
leaching zone into surrounding areas, contaminating another 110
million m3 of groundwater in an area of 28
km2. In addition, the acid reached along faulty wells
another aquifer located above the leaching zone. This aquifer is
being used for drinking water supply. 76 million m3
have been contaminated in this aquifer.
With the planned shut-down of the site, the Czech government now
faces the virtually unsolvable problem of restoring the
groundwater quality in this largest aquifer of North Bohemia.
The government-owned uranium mining company DIAMO thus was
directed to develop a restoration concept for the site. This
concept was presented at a conference in the last week of
May.
The restoration goal for the upper aquifer (used for potable
water supply) is the drinking water standard, to be achieved by
pumping of contaminated waters. The goal seems to be attainable
for this aquifer, although some contaminants, as aluminium,
exceed the standard up to 1000-fold.
But for the leaching zone and its surroundings, the goal of
reaching the potable water standard is regarded as absolutely
unrealistic. For this aquifer, the goal is defined that
anticipated contaminant migration to the upper aquifer shall not
worsen the water quality in this aquifer beyond potable water
standards. But it is still unclear, which contaminant level in
the lower aquifer is sufficient to achieve this goal. According
to the latest modeling results presented, a level of total
dissolved solids of 10 g/l will be reached in the year 2014, and
a level of 1 g/l in 2032, after continuous pumping. These
figures were obtained from extensive computer modeling performed
by the company.
Unfortunately, pumping alone does not solve the problem, since
the water produced cannot be discharged, due to its high
contaminant load. Therefore, a water treatment plant is being
built, including an evaporator for the contaminated liquid. The
evaporation residues are to be processed to marketable products
(alunit, aluminium oxide or aluminium sulphate), if economically
viable, or dumped otherwise. Later, as the contaminant load of
the pumped liquids decreases, reverse osmosis units are to be
installed before the evaporator, thus allowing operation of the
evaporator at full capacity and an increase of pumping rate from
initially 5.5 m3 per minute up to 30 m3
per minute. Without this additional technology, pumping would
thus take much more time.
During the first years, the evaporation residues are to be re-
injected into the leaching zone, since the processing plant for
the residues won't be operable before the year 2000 - this
proposal caused unbelieving stupefaction with some observers.
The restoration concept is now being reviewed by the consulting
company MEGA a.s., a privatized spin-off of the former uranium
mining company. Project director Dr Anděl has already drawn
attention to some critical points: For example, pilot scale
tests for the restoration are missing, to verify the concepts
based on modeling. Moreover, the extraordinary energy
consumption of the evaporation unit and the reverse osmosis
plants as not been assessed in detail. But in this regard, the
review comes already too late, since the evaporation plant is
already under construction.
The total cost of the groundwater restoration project at the in-
situ leaching site of Stráž pod Ralskem is estimated at
more than one billion US-Dollars and will have to be paid by the
state budget. If this cost is attributed to the amount of
uranium produced, a specific cost of $ 75 per kilogramme of
uranium produced can be calculated. This is three times the
current market price of uranium.
Aerial view: ÖkoSil Ltd 
· Google Maps
First phase of cleanup completed at Sillamäe tailings pond
The first phase of cleanup at the radioactive waste pond near the town of Sillamäe has been completed: A double row of reinforced concrete piles reaching deep into the ground will keep the hill from slowly slipping into the sea. In addition, a special drainage system will take away most of the water so that it will not mix with the waste.
(The Baltic Times May 9, 2003)
Remediation works begin at Sillamäe tailings pond
On June 5, 2001, the launch of main remediation works at the Sillamäe Radioactive Tailings Depository was celebrated. The Sillamäe remediation project of 20 million EUR, technically designed by the German company Wismut GmbH and managed by ÖkoSil, will be completed by 2006. Ökosil arranged an international tender to choose the building contractor for Stage 1 of the project, due to be completed by September 2002. (Silmet release June 4, 2001)
Groundworks begin on the Sillamäe tailings pond
Preparatory works at the Sillamäe tailings pond started with the excavating and re-locating of approx. 500,000 cubic metres of oilshale ashes and ground in the tailings pond. Groundworks are scheduled to be completed by the end of May 2001. The next steps planned are the construction of the pile grillage, shore protection embankment and a diaphragm wall.
The Sillamäe remediation project is managed by AS ÖkoSil , a public-private partnership company established in 1998 by the Estonian State and the Silmet Group .
According to the technical design project prepared by the German company Wismut GmbH , the project will be carried out over seven years. The total cost of the remediation project is 312 million EEK (20 million EUR).
Grant financing for the project is provided by the EU Phare, NEFCO, Governments of Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. Additional financing will be provided by the Estonian Government from the Nordic Investment Bank long-term environmental loan for Estonia.
(Ökosil Ltd release Nov. 22, 2000)
> For details on the reclamation project, see Ökosil Ltd
Decommissioning Project presented for Sillamäe tailings
Dam in extremely poor condition
In a paper presented at the Tailing Dams 2000 conference, contractor Wismut gave an overview of the situation of the Sillamäe uranium mill tailings deposit and the proposed reclamation activities.
The volume of seepage migrating from the deposit to the Gulf of Finland is estimated at approx. 260,000 m3/a. Dominating contaminants in the seepage are ammonia (1-10 g/l) and nitrate (0.1-1 g/l). The total nitrogen load of approx. 1680 t/a is by far higher than the average input of 78 t/a from the Baltic coast.
The geotechnical stability factors for the dam were determined to be in the range of close to equilibrium, F=1.0 (!), up to F=1.25, rather than the internationally used criteria of F = 1.3 - 1.5. These results are preliminary, since important geotechnical parameters are not known. The weakest point is the weathered Cambrian blue clay underlying the dam.
The geotechnical condition of the dam is so poor that no cover can be applied on the tailings, nor even investigative drilling can be performed on the dam crest, before stabilisation is performed.
Wismut's prefered option for dam stabilisation is placing a pile grillage in front of the dam.
For details, see: Tailing Dams 2000 Proceedings, March 28-30, 2000, Las Vegas, Nevada, Association of State Dam Safety Officials, Inc. , Lexington, Kentucky, March 2000, 482 p.
Radioactive Waste Cleanup To Cost 200 Million Kroons
December 11 - An estimated total of 200 million kroons (US$ 15 million) will be needed to safeguard a reservoir of radioactive waste left behind by a former Soviet military plant at Sillamäe.
The funds needed for the work would be provided by the European Union's
PHARE programme , said an official from the Ministry of Environment .
In order to make the reservoir environmentally safe, it must be covered with
an impermeable layer, and the dam separating the reservoir from the Baltic
Sea must be reinforced.
The German company Wismut , which provided the winning tender for the work,
said it could cover the reservoir with ashes from the burning of oil shale,
which would prevent rainwater from entering the reservoir and would prevent
the reservoir from contaminating the ground water.
The reservoir was created from the decades of waste deposited from a plant
extracting rare chemical elements for the military industry. The reservoir
contains eight million tons of radioactive waste, including
1,200 tons of uranium.
The most critical omission by the military was the failure to secure the
ground underneath the 33-hectare disposal site. The reservoir is now 25
meters high.
Wismut plans to make the reservoir safe in five years. (ESTONIAN REVIEW Vol. 8, No. 50, Dec. 6 - 12, 1998)
Silmet's "Uranium Lake" needs a billion Kroons
SILMET, ESTONIA -- SILMET'S "URANIUM LAKE" NEEDS A
BILLION KROONS in order to be safely contained, according to the
environment commissioner of the European Union, Ritt
Bjerregaard, after a recent visit to the toxic waste dump at
Silmet. The dump site is reported to contain 1,200 tons of
uranium, 800 tons of thorium, 7 kilograms of radium and by-
products of the decomposition of uranium. The toxic waste
accumulated during the period when Silmet was a secret Soviet
military factory. Ms. Bjerregaard inquired into the possibility
of liquidating the base completely and other ways of stopping
the future usage of the lake as a dump site. Estonian government
has already allocated 4.8 million kroons to seal the banks of
the lake which in some points is only 20 meters from the Baltic
Sea.
Source: X-USSR antinuclear campaign newsletter, Sep-Oct 1996, N
3
For details on the Sillamäe uranium mill tailings deposit,
see:
Ehdwall,H; Sundblad,B; Nosov,V; Putnik,H; Mustonen,R:
Content and environmental impact from the waste
depository in Sillamäe. Swedish Inst. of Radiation
Protection (Ed.), SSI 94-08, Stockholm 1994, 42 p.
> See extra page
> See extra page
The government of Hungary has ordered the closure of the Mecsek uranium mine, claiming that
the mine is no longer competitive in the world market and is the
site of extensive environmental damage. [UI News Briefing
96/46]
Closure of Hungary's only uranium mine at Mecsek, in operation
since 1964, has been confirmed. 400 of its 1000 employees will
remain in 1998 to begin the restoration of the site which is
expected to take until 2002. The site is a possible candidate
for use as a disposal facility of the waste from the Paks
nuclear power station. [UI News Briefing 97/43]
The decommissioning is being performed by the state-owned Mecsek Ore Environment company (Mecsekérc Környezetvédelmi RT ), the successor of Mecsek Ore Mining Company.
Uranium mill tailings ponds, Pécs, Hungary:
Aerial view: Google Maps
Contaminated groundwater is travelling at a speed of 30 - 50 m per year from the tailings ponds towards nearby drinking water wells supplying about half of the potable water demand of the city of Pécs.
The European Commission has granted Euro 1.28 million under its Fifth Framework Programme for the research project PEREBAR investigating the use of permeable reactive barriers for groundwater cleanup at this and other sites. The 3-year project started in March 2000.
> see also
The uranium mill tailings at the former Kowary uranium mill site in Poland were reclaimed with European Union aid in 2001. The 250,000 tonnes of tailings were stabilized on site and protected with a multi-layer cover. There remains a stability hazard, however, since the western dam foot is located in the immediate range of influence of storm floods, which can cause significant erosion damage.
Remediation of the low-level radioactive waste tailing pond at Kowary, Poland , European Commission, Report EUR 20312 EN, March 2002
Aerial view, Urgeiriça uranium mill tailings: Google Maps
> See also: Notícias e Eventos (EDM - Empresa de Desenvolvimento Mineiro, SA - in Portuguese)
Reclamation programme for Urgeiriça uranium mines presented
At the occasion of the opening of the public tender for the reclamation of the Old Barrage of the Urgeiriça uranium mine, the reclamation programme was presented on July 20, 2005. The reclamation of the Old Barrage is considered a key element of the environmental reclamation program. It is to be carried out at estimated costs of Euro 6.3 million in the years 2006/2007. The reclamation of the New Barrage and the Industrial Zone is to follow. The total reclamation cost is estimated at Euro 70 million.
(Diário de Notícias/EDM July 20, 2005)
Study confirms elevated levels of environmental radioactivity in former Urgeiriça uranium mining area
Sampling performed by the National Institute of Health for the study "Projecto MinUrar" has confirmed that elevated levels of radioactivity exist in soils, water, and air around the former uranium mines of Urgeiriça. The levels do not exceed applicable standards, though. A health survey of residents of the area indicated on average a lower function of the thyroid. The results of the tests for chromosome aberrations and for polonium in hair will only be available by the end of the year.
(Diário Digital / Região de Leiria, July 13, 2005)
Begin of decommissioning of Urgeiriça uranium mines delayed
The begin of the decommissioning of the uranium mines in the Urgeiriça area (Nelas), set to begin on Feb. 14, 2005, was delayed.
(Público Feb. 15, 2005)
Decommissioning of the uranium mines in the Urgeiriça area (Nelas) in central Portugal is set to begin on Feb. 14, 2005. The mines had been exploited between 1951 and 1991. The decommissioning costs are estimated at Euro 6.3 million.
This first decommissioning phase also comprises the mines of Cunha Baixa and Quinta do Bispo (Mangualde), and Vale de Abrutiga (Coimbra).
The total decommissioning cost for the 61 uranium mines in the districts of Viseu, Coimbra, Guarda and Castello Branco is estimated at Euro 56 million. Of these, Euro 35 million will be spent in 2005 and 2006.
(Público Feb. 12, 2005)
Former Portuguese uranium miners to receive same pensions as underground miners
After a long struggle, the Portuguese Cabinet approved on Dec. 15, 2004, that the former uranium miners of ENU will be put on an equal footing with underground miners and will receive the same pensions.
(Público Dec. 16, 2004)
Blockaders of uranium ore concentrate transport demand environmental restoration of mining area
On Nov. 16, 2004, 300 protestors prevented a transport of 30 t of uranium ore concentrate originating from the former Urgeiriça mines and destined for Germany. The protestors demanded that the proceeds from the uranium sale were allocated for the reclamation of the old uranium mining area. The blockade was lifted in the evening, after negotiations with the Portuguese Minister of Environment.
The dismantling of the installations of the former mining company ENU is to be completed by the end of the year 2004. At closure time, 337 t of uranium ore concentrate remained on site, 127 t of which have been sold to Germany now.
(Público Nov. 17, 2004)
Activists form human cordon at abandoned Portuguese uranium mine
On July 31, 2004, approx. 40 environmentalists formed a symbolic human cordon at the entrance of the Quinta do Bispo uranium mine (Mangualde) to protest the lack of security at the 56 former uranium mines in the districts of Viseu, Guarda and Coimbra in the Central Region. The environmental organization AZU urged the government to reclaim the sites.
(Público July 31, 2004)
Waste transfers exposed at abandoned Portuguese uranium mine
While municipal waste of the city of Mangualde has been dumped in the abandoned Quinta do Bispo uranium mine, radioactive material from the abandoned mine has, in turn, been used for ground works in the city of Mangualde. The environmental association Ambiente em Zonas Uraníferas (AZU) calls for a commission to investigate the affair.
(Público Jul 1, 2004)
The Chamber of Mangualde has ordered the contractor who had placed the mining waste in the city to relocate the material to the former mine site. (Público Jul 3, 2004)
The radioactivity levels found by the Institute of the Environment in the material used in Mangualde were only slightly elevated. Therefore, only such material will be brought back to the mine that has not yet been used.
AZU will hold a symbolic "human cordon" at the mine site at 17:00 hrs on July 31, 2004, to draw attention to the lack of security at the site. (Público Jul 27, 2004)
Environmentalists to go to court over government's negligence with abandoned uranium mines
At the occasion of the World Environment Day, the environmental association Ambiente em Zonas Uraníferas (AZU) announced to go to court over the government's alleged negligence concerning the abandoned uranium mines in central Portugal. According to AZU, there exist approx. 50 abandoned uranium mines in the Coimbra-Viseu-Guarda-Castelo Branco area.
(Público Jun 6, 2004)
Illegal fishing in former Granja do Jarmelo open pit uranium mine (Guarda)
The environmental organization Quercus is worried about people fishing in the former Granja do Jarmelo open pit uranium mine, located between Guarda and Vilar Formoso. The people are getting access to the site crossing damaged fences, neglecting danger signs. The mine had been abandoned in the early 1980s after 50 years of exploitation.
(Correio da Manhã May 24, 2004)
Epidemiological study to be performed among residents of the Urgeiriça uranium sites
The National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge (INSA) is to collect samples of hair and blood of about 300 resident people in the concelho of Nelas, near the mines of Urgeiriça. The objective is to carry out an epidemiologic study ("Projecto MinUrar") to evaluate health effects in the population living next to the radioactive sites.
(Público June 16, 2003)
> See also: INSA release March 31, 2003 (in Portuguese)
Cleanup of uranium sites at Urgeiriça may be postponed for lack of funds
The cleanup of the former uranium mine and mill sites at Urgeiriça, scheduled to begin in 2003, possibly will have to be delayed, since no provisions have been made for it in the state budget, so far. 70 to 75% of the estimated cost of Euro 50 million will be supplied by the European Union.
(Público June 16, 2003)
Environmentalists call for start of cleanup at Urgeiriça
In a press conference held on June 5, 2003, the environmental organization Ambiente nas Zonas Uraníferas (AZU) urged the government to commence the cleanup of the legacy of uranium mining at Urgeiriça - which had been promised by the government for two years. AZU proposed to sell the 300 tonnes of uranium concentrate still stored in Urgeiriça to obtain the funds necessary for a cleanup of the legacy of uranium mining in the area.
There exist four million tonnes of uranium mill tailings in the area. A study by Instituto Tecnológico e Nuclear had shown that the surrounding area is contaminated with heavy metals and radioactive materials at levels that can be dangerous for humans.
(Diário de Notícias June 6, 2003)
Portuguese uranium mine workers call for cleanup of old uranium mine sites
After 40 former uranium mine and mill workers have deceased from cancer in the last years, former workers of Empresa Nacional de Urânio (ENU) call for the reclamation of the legacy of uranium mining in the Urgeiriça area. They in particular mention the heap leaching piles, where acid is being used still to extract uranium, and where leaking liquid may reach the groundwater. In addition to the mine at Urgeiriça, there are 58 old exploration sites requiring cleanup, spread out across the districts of Viseu, Guarda and Coimbra.
(Público June 9, 2002)
[from this press article it is not clear why the workers don't consider their former occupational exposure as a much more likely cause of contracting cancer.]
The former employees of the Empresa Nacional de Urânio (ENU) and the inhabitants in the Urgeiriça region want to have voice in the process of environmental restoration of the region. They have decided to create an organism for which they intend to get the statute of Non Governmental Organization (NGO). The name of the association is "Os Amigos das Minas de Urânio" (Friends of the uranium mines).
The rising numbers of deaths from cancer, and the contamination of soil and waters are their questions of concern. They demand the environmental restoration of the mining area and the urgent elaboration of an epidemiologic study.
(Diário de Notícias 14 June 2002)
"The Portuguese Government recently released about EUR 50 000 000 for mine rehabilitation. The priority was ascribed to the uranium mines to which most of the financial support was endorsed." (Environmental Remediation of Uranium Production Facilities, OECD NEA / IAEA, Paris, Feb 2002, p. 28)
"Romania's chief nuclear regulator intends to revoke the
licences of some of the country's uranium mines but would like to see
one of them turned into the world's first regional repository for low
and intermediate level waste, it is reported. According to Dan Cutoiu,
radiation protection standards are being violated at the mines, which
are described as uneconomic. The Baita-Bihor and Banat mines are reported to be the ones facing closure, although the Crucea plants would remain in operation to serve national demand." (UI News Briefing 00.13, 29 March 2000)
Aerial view: Google Maps
Medical tests extended to former uranium miners
Medical tests, so far only done with former workers of the Andújar uranium mill, now have been extended to 300 former employees of the Sierra Morena and Cárdena uranium mines. (El País July 5, 2007)
Aerial view, uranium mill tailings: Google Maps
Medical reports dismiss radiation doses received by former Andújar uranium mill workers as cause of diseases
The minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Jesus Boiler, disappointed the ex-workers of the Andújar uranium mill when indicating that the medical reports of the Regional Government of Andalusia do not see a cause-effect relation between their diseases and the ionizing radiations of uranium received between 1959 and 1981. The factory had 126 workers of which 56 have died. A positive medical report is essential for the Social Security to recognize the pathologies of these ex-employees as professional diseases, which could increase their pensions.
(El País Dec. 14, 2007)
Former Andújar uranium mill workers still fighting for compensation
The workers of the former Andújar uranium mill have been fighting unsuccessfully for 15 years to obtain recognition of their diseases as professional disease. Half of them already has died.
The Ministry of Labor now demands new tests for the ex-employees to recognize the professional disease.
(El País Apr. 8, 2007)
On April 16, 2007, the Ministry of Work and Social Security communicated the recognition of professional disease to 54 ex-workers that had contact with uranium in the mines. For the rest of the employees, in particular those of the Fábrica de Uranio (FUA) of Andújar (Jaén), further investigations will have to be done to determine whether their diseases were caused by their exposure to ionizing radiation from uranium during the 22 years of operation of the factory.
(El País April 17 & 19, 2007)
Parliament demands medical tests for former Andújar uranium mill workers
On Sep. 22, 2005, the Chamber of Deputies unanimously approved a motion presented by the United Left in which it backs the demands of the former workers of the Andújar uranium mill (FUA). Since the mill closed its doors in 1992, 48 of the 126 former employees have passed away, the majority of which by cancer, that the group attributes to the ionizing radiations of the uranium to which they were exposed during 22 years. The motion directs the Government to sign within three months a protocol between the Social Security and the Government of Andalusia to perform special medical tests on the former employees to prove that the diseases are caused by the radiation exposure.
(El País Sep. 23, 2005)
Former uranium mill workers file complaint for compensation of health damages
On Dec. 12, 2003, the former workers of the Andújar uranium mill (FUA) will make a complaint before the Ministry of Science and Technology to demand an indemnification of Euro 12 million for the occupationally caused disease that say to suffer after having manipulated uranium without protection measures during 22 years. The claim is signed by 48 workers and 32 widows of former employees of the FUA.
The Ministry now has three months to respond to this request. In case there is no answer, the workers of the FUA will be able to sue the ministry under civil law. Earlier attempts to initiate prosecution under criminal law had been unsuccessful, since no causal link could be proven between the radiation exposure and the diseases and deaths of the workers.
(Europa Press Dec. 11, 2003)
Uranium mill tailings pond Щ (Shch), aerial view: Google Maps
Uranium mill tailings pond КБЖ (KBZh), aerial view: Google Maps
Uranium mill tailings pond Д (D), aerial view: Google Maps
Uranium mill tailings pond С (S), aerial view: Google Maps
Cleanup of Dniprodzerzhynsk uranium mill tailings stuck by insufficient allocation of funds
For an effective management of the tailings, an annual amount of Hryvnia 500 million (US$ 96 million) is required. In the year 2000, however, only Hryvnia 2.3 million were allocated; these were sufficient for some preliminary stabilization of the tailings dump С (S) only. In the year 2001, the budget provided for Hryvnia 7.3 million, but only 1 million was allocated; it was used for some dam stabilization. In 2002, the budget provided for Hryvnia 1 million, of which only 312,000 were allocated - insufficient to pay even the salaries of the Baryer employees. The 2003 budget provided for Hryvnia 7 million, but in the first nine months, no funds at all were allocated yet.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Scientific Research Institute elaborated a 10-year plan (for 2004 - 2013) requiring a total budget of only Hryvnia 25 - 26 million (US$ 4.8 - 5 million). But, given the expected state budget constraints in 2004 and the experience of the previous years, it is highly unlikely that this plan will ever be realized.
(Zerkalo Nedeli 18 Oct. 2003)
Dniprodzerzhynsk uranium mill tailings threaten residents
The former Dnipro chemical works has left a legacy of 36 million tonnes of uranium mill tailings near Dniprodzerzhynsk. Uranium ore from the USSR and eastern European countries used to be processed here. The tailings cover an area of 600 hectares. They are flooded by underground waters and the wind blows radioactive dust into Dniprodzerzhynsk. Four out of nine storage sites are within the city zone. Every Dniprodzerzhynsk resident receives a dose of 5.6 Millisieverts a year, this is some 460 per cent in excess of normal level.
The Baryer enterprise, whose work is to maintain the stores is waiting for a flood in fear. One of the site is just some 500 m from the Dnieper. Uranium waste flows into the Dnieper via the small Konoplyanka river.
Underground waters should be at least four metres below the bottom of the storage site, but actually the waste is lying in the water.
It would take millions of hryvnyas to remove the waste to a safe and properly equipped depository, but local authorities do not have such a sum.
(Novyy Kanal television, Kiev / BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Mar 21, 2002)
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