Russia signs deal with US to shut down three nuclear reactors

Russia and the United States signed an agreement that will see Russia shut down its last three remaining nuclear reactors that produce weapons-grade plutonium within eight years.

"This will bring us to the end of production of weapons grade plutonium in Russia," US Energy Minister Spencer Abraham said after signed the deal with Russian Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev here.

He said under the deal the United States would help its Cold War-era foe to replace the reactors, all three located in Siberia, with fossil-fuel plants.

Continued....

Spend $400 million US taxpayer dollars to build more fossil fuel plants in Russia?! Non-poliferation is great, we certainly need more, but this is ridiculous IMO!

[muno]

I don't understand where russia puts it's money.
Finland sends huge piles of cash over all the time for them to build facilities that clean stuff.

And yet they agree that nonshielded vessels travel over the icy gulf of finland.
They were so eager to take carelian back from finland at the end of war, but who pays their lives? Finland does.
-M

[ben-the-slacker]

Sheesh, the Russians are cold enough with those plants going...

Hmmm

Disarming current and possibly future opponents thru smooth-talking
Creating a missile defense shield
Pulling out of the missiles pact
Making a web of not-so-permanent allies and assets through bribes, etc..

Seeing a pattern yet?

Pretty soon the only country left with nuclear facilities and nuclear weapons will be the US.

[ben-the-slacker]

exactly

[ClubMed]

The Russians still haven't recovered from the collapse of the Soviet Union. There is a lot of corruption, mismanagement, lack of funds etc...

It is unfortunate that I have seen many documentaries where the Russians said they were better off during the SU, at least they had food and heating and money on a regular basis.

It's going to take a lot of work to get them back on their feet.

Concerning the fossil fuel plants, yes I agree it’s crazy but is there a really viable alternative at the moment? The Nuclear power plants were built to replace fossil fuel energy sources, at the moment there is nothing to replace nuclear energy, so it seems only logical that they would have to downgrade to the level they had before.

It is interesting to note that downgrading to fossil fuels will make them more dependent on resources, erasing the last amount of power and influence they might have, clever move on the US side? Silly one on the Russian side? Cause for conflict in the future?

[Bob The Great]

Dude, shutting down those Breeder plants is stupid IMO. They can make weapons grade platonium, but we're goina be out of fossil fules in aprox 40years, and we gotta be moving to alternative fuels! Nuclear is clean, safe (realitive to the others) and with breeders completly renewable!

Well I guess out of desperation comes some of the best inovation. I sure hope we get it going soon cause fuel isn't going to be here for much longer!

[willy_ph]

Why the hell didn't they just convert them to produce electricity? I'm sure it's not the cheapest plan in the world, but i'd be worth it in the long run would it not?