Radioactive Waste Management Fund

On July 11, 2017 The Verkhovna Rada adopted a package of draft laws to restore targeted financing and use of the State Radioactive Waste Management Fund (RAW), which will restore its cumulative status and finance the implementation of the state program for utilization of such waste.

In particular, 231 people's deputies (226 votes were required) voted for the adoption of draft law No. 6435 "On Amendments to Article 4 of the Law of Ukraine" On the Management of Radioactive Waste to Improve the Mechanism of Funding the Activities related to the Radioactive Waste Management".

Ivan Rybak, people's deputy, representative of the parliamentary subcommittee on environmental policy, nature management and elimination of the Chornobyl accident consequences, noted that it should be possible by 2019 to move fully to financing of RAW management activities from the budget of the Fund. The funds will be used for the development of the radioactive waste management system, the construction of long-term storage facilities and scientific research. 

Deputies also adopted draft law No. 6436 "On Amendments to the Budget Code of Ukraine on the Improvement of the Mechanism of Financial Support for Radioactive Waste Management".

Vitaly Petruk, Chairman of the State Agency for Exclusion Zone Management, noted that the adoption of these draft laws will restore the accumulative status of the fund, that means, money in the fund will accumulate from year to year (on condition of limited use), to provide funding for the construction of very expensive storage facilities or other units.

The situation with the fund was commented on by Igor Gramotkin, General Director of the Chornobyl NPP: "What opportunities does the RAW fund give us? Contributions to the fund will be made both by enterprises that produce radioactive waste, and Ukraine. The Fund will provide funding for RAW management and ChNPP decommissioning projects. This means that we are moving away from direct budget funding. The RAW Fund will be an accumulative fund, which means that we will be able to plan our activities for several years ahead, instead of annual planning, as was the case during direct budget financing".