UK-Russia Closed Nuclear Cities Partnership

  Ozersk - an introduction
  Nuclear weapon production at Mayak
  The Mayak complex today
  Mayak - the future
  Mayak Environmental pollution
  CNCP Projects in Ozersk

Mayak - the future

Looking ahead, it is difficult to imagine the company developing without an expansion of its conversion programme. Russia is one of the world's largest manufacturers and exporters of isotopes, an area that is developing rapidly. Exports have quadrupled since 1990, and Russian isotope sales in 2002 totalled almost $40 million, half of which is produced at Mayak.

Two industrial reactors, Ruslan and Ludmila, are used for isotope production, almost all of which is exported. A joint venture with the British company Amersham has turned Mayak into the world's largest producer of radio-pharmaceutical goods.

Mayak also owns an instrument engineering plant which designs and produces nuclear physical instrument, radiation control, and industrial and environmental control systems. It produces over 100 different kinds of instruments.

Conversion production using radiation technologies is developing at PC Mayak. This includes the manufacture of heat-shrinkable piping for electric insulation, protective coatings, doped silicon for power semi-conductors, and thermal impedance transformers. It also produces commercial tritium and helium-3 for the world market. The product range includes commercial ceramics, graphite-based products, and permanent magnets, considered to be the best in Russia.

Under international agreements, Russia has to decommission a large amount of plutonium and ensure its safe storage. The plutonium produced at Mayak is now being returned to the plant. In 2003 the world's only fissible material storage facility was built here. It is designed to deal with 400 tons of weapon-grade uranium and plutonium within the next 100 years. The storage facility is protected by a 9.5 metre thick ceiling, and has been constructed to withstand any natural disaster, such as a major earthquake, or an aircraft crash on the site. This project cost about $400 million and was co-funded by the US government.

Mayak has developed a good relationship with foreign partners in England, France, Germany, China, the former Eastern Europe and former USSR republics, Ukraine and Kazakhstan.

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