Uzbekistan’s radioactive waste storage capacity may last 5 years

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan’s existing radioactive waste storage capacity may last for another four to five years, Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Industrial, Radiation and Nuclear Safety under the Cabinet of Ministers Sardorbek Yakubekov told the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis on 18 August.

He made the statement as lawmakers considered in the first reading a draft law “On the Management of Radioactive Waste”.

The bill is intended to comprehensively regulate the handling of radioactive waste, from its generation and processing to storage, transportation and disposal.

According to Yakubekov, radioactive sources are currently used by about 176 entities in Uzbekistan. There are around 2,500 such sources, while spent sources are placed at the Republican Center for Storage of Radioactive Waste.

“Of the center’s 10 storage facilities, four are currently full, while the remaining facilities are between 50% and 92% full. Existing capacity may be sufficient to receive waste for another four to five years,” he said.

The meeting also addressed Uzbekistan’s uranium legacy. Between 1964 and 1994, more than 57 million tonnes of uranium waste accumulated at the tailings facility of Hydrometallurgical Plant No. 1 as a result of the activities of the Navoi Mining and Metallurgical Combine.

In 2023–2025, uranium legacy sites in Yangiabad and Charkesar were rehabilitated with a €9 million grant from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

However, Yakubekov said the lack of a legal framework for the long-term monitoring of already disposed radioactive waste limits the possibility of further rehabilitating similar sites, including with EBRD funding.

Uzbekistan has a nuclear research reactor and is building a nuclear power plant, but it does not yet have a dedicated law comprehensively regulating radioactive waste management, the report said.

The draft law consists of six chapters and 48 articles. It establishes safety requirements, the powers of state bodies, the rights and obligations of citizens and organizations, and the responsibilities of entities involved in relevant activities. It also provides for the independence of state supervision and public participation.

One of the principles to be established by the law is the “polluter pays” principle.

The draft also regulates the activities of the national radioactive waste management operator and sets requirements for the siting, design, construction, commissioning, operation and decommissioning of facilities associated with radioactive waste.

The stated aim of the bill is to protect people’s lives, health and property, as well as the environment, from the harmful effects of radioactive waste while taking into account the interests of present and future generations.

The draft law was prepared taking into account International Atomic Energy Agency standards, international conventions, relevant European Union directives and legislation in a number of countries.

According to information presented at the meeting, radioactive waste management is regulated at the legislative level in 81 of the 181 IAEA member states.

The drafters studied the experience of the United States, Belgium, Germany, France, Sweden, South Korea, Russia and Kazakhstan. They also considered assessments from six foreign experts representing international organizations and regulatory bodies in Italy, Spain, Lithuania and Russia, as well as eight specialists from Uzbek ministries and government agencies.

During the discussion, lawmaker Zafar Khudoyberdiyev raised a possible contradiction between provisions of the draft concerning ownerless radioactive waste and state ownership of radioactive waste containing nuclear materials.

Yakubekov explained that ownerless waste includes, among other things, sites associated with former Soviet-era uranium mines that were abandoned and effectively have no owner.

He also clarified that before being transferred to the specialized long-term storage facility in Parkent district, such waste may be temporarily stored at the premises of the organization carrying out the relevant activities. The specialized permanent storage facility itself is state-owned.

The drafters agreed to further review the disputed wording as the bill is prepared for its second reading.

The Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis subsequently approved the draft law in the first reading.