Nuclear watch in the Far North

Despite the pressure from Scandinavian and other European countries it is not realistic to expect Russia to abandon its nuclear energy projects, which are badly required for the power starved Northwest region of the country. Russia will probably continue to use and develop nuclear technology because of its huge infrastructure and enormous manpower. In this regard Russia needs help from Western countries to fund a solution to the problem. One of the most important concerns of Norway is related to the naval shipyards in the Kola peninsula and Archangelsk region which include nuclear-powered submarines and about 5000 tons of solid waste generated annually by the Northern Fleet nuclear reactors and at the two shipyards. Norway has taken the lead in co-operating with Russia in working out solutions, but there is no help from the Russian authorities