Axpo says no to Mayak nuclear fuel

One of Switzerland’s leading energy utilities, Axpo, has put a stop to uranium supplies from the controversial Mayak nuclear processing plant in Russia.

In a statement published on its website on Saturday, Axpo said its failure to gain access to the complex during a recent visit was the reason for its decision, since this meant the power company could not monitor operations there.

The Russian authorities denied the Axpo delegation access to the plant, defending the decision by saying it was located in a military no-go zone.

“Axpo has negotiated with its supplier Areva to enable the exclusion of uranium from the Mayak plant as long as the supply chain cannot be fully monitored,” the statement said.

Instead, the Swiss company said it would increase the amount of fuel ordered from Russia’s Seversk plant, which it was given access to.

In the late 1950s, an explosion of highly radioactive liquid at Mayak exposed people in hundreds of towns and villages in the region to chronic radiation.

The environmental organisation Greenpeace claims that nuclear contamination is ongoing. It also criticised Axpo for its decision to continue importing fuel from Seversk, since its facilities do not meet European standards.

Greenpeace has condemned a decision by the Russian government for passing legislation to import spent nuclear fuel from other countries to Mayak.