This page is intended to help visitors find high-quality information on topics related to the Nuclear Communities in Transition project, including nuclear power plants in the regions in which the project takes place, decommissioning, energy issues, and sustainable development.

General Issues

1. Agenda 21
2. Decommissioning
3. Energy Conservation & Renewable Energy
4. Radiation/Nuclear Issues

Regional Issues

1. Agenda 21 & Sustainable Development in the Baltic Region
2. Belarusian Nuclear & Energy Issues
3. Decommissioning and Public Participation in the US
4. Lithuanian Nuclear & Energy Issues (Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant)
5. Russian Nuclear & Energy Issues (Rostov, Saratov, Tomsk)

GENERAL ISSUES

Agenda 21

Local Agenda 21 and Local Ecologically Sustainable Development An Australian website with lots of information about Local Agenda 21. See especially "Our Community Our Future: A Guide to Local Agenda 21," which introduces sustainable development, Local Agenda 21, provides case studies of Local Agenda 21 implementation in Australia, and suggestions for those interested in beginning to implement it. In English.

Localizing Agenda 21 A step-by-step guide to implementing LA21. From the Urban Environmental Management Research Initiative is composed of an international team of urban planning researchers and is based at Tokyo Institute of Technology in Tokyo, Japan. 15 pages, English.

Localising Agenda 21: Action Planning for Sustainable Urban Development A report on the implementation of Agenda 21 in Nakuru (Kenya), Essaouira (Morrocco) and Vinh City (Vietnam). This site is part of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat). In English.

Agenda 21: the full text of the Agreement adopted in Rio. [English] [Russian] The actual original document that outlines the goals, participants, and methods of Agenda 21. Over 70 pages.

Agenda 21 Chapter 28: Local Authorities' Initiatives in Support of Agenda 21 [English] [Russian] The section of the Agenda 21 agreement that discusses Local Agenda 21. 2 pages.

Decommissioning

Decommissioning Issues Provides links to updates and reports on plants that are being decommissioned around the world (24 sites). Also provides information about plans and laws related to decommissioning (20 sites). English.

Nuclear Power: Yankee yanked About the citizen pressure and safety concerns that caused the close of a NPP in Maine, USA and the local citizens' reactions to the plant closure. Article from the November/December 1997 issue of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a reputable anti-nuclear organization. 5 pages, English.

Problems of decommissioning nuclear facilities A brief discussion of the stages and costs of decommissioning. Includes several examples and a bibliography. From the Sierra Club. 4 pages, English.

Energy Conservation & Renewable Energy

Renewable Energy High quality articles about many aspects of renewable energy, including economic studies, environmental benefits and costs, descriptions of how each source of renewable energy works, and much more. From the Union of Concerned Scientists. Updated periodically. English.

International Energy Brigades "The main idea is to turn verbal claims of how to save energy into concrete results. Trained volunteer activists go into public buildings and people's homes and install energy efficiency materials such as window and door insulation, radiator reflectors, etc. The labor for this service is not charged for. The owners of the buildings - both people and institutions -only have to pay for the materials. The project is also introduced to the media to raise the issue of radioactive waste, energy production and climate change to a national level, while promoting the ecologically friendly alternative of efficiency." Provides links to information about specific Energy Brigade results in Hungary, Bulgaria, and Georgia. English.

Radiation/Nuclear Issues

WISE: World Information Service on Energy The site contains a number of highly professional anti-nuclear articles and reports about many issues, including uranium mining, MOX, and Chernobyl. The site also contains many links to regional anti-nuclear sites. Updated regularly. English.

Institute for Energy and Environmental Research Contains information about plutonium and uranium, an international newsletter about radiation issues and full-text reports on energy-related issues. English, some newsletter articles are available in Russian.

WISE Uranium Project Covers the health and environmental impacts of nuclear fuel production. The site contains links and special issues dedicated to uranium life cycle -from mining till storage of nuclear waste. Also there are several built-in Calculators for nuclear-related costs (Nuclear Fuel Material Balance Calculator, Recycled Nuclear Fuel Cost Calculator, Nuclear Fuel Population Health Risk Calculator). Updated regularly. English.

Plutonium Investigation from WISE-Paris Contains information on nuclear issues, including late-breaking news from WISE-Paris and other sources; in-depth original reports about various countries; a monthly newsletter; and contact information for organizations and government bodies working on nuclear issues in certain countries. Updated very frequently. English, French.

Russian-American Agreement on Nuclear Cities and Highly Enriched Uranium 3 pages, 1998. English.

REGIONAL ISSUES

Agenda 21 & Sustainable Development in the Baltic Region

Baltic 21: An Agenda 21 for the Baltic Sea Region Information about Agenda 21 and sustainable development in the Baltics, publications about financing local Agenda 21, Baltic 21 goals and indicators for various topics, including energy. This is from the Baltic Network, which is made up of 11 Baltic Sea nations, the EU, and a large number of NGOs, and international financing institutions. English, some publications also available in Baltic languages.

Baltic 21 Information about Agenda 21 for the Baltics. Includes information about sustainable development in each country in the Baltic region, goals, scenarios for sustainable development, information about financing, and much more. Made available from EcoSafe. Russian.

A Sustainable Baltic: The First Steps [English] [Russian] About Local Agenda 21 implementation in Baltic regions of Russia. Contains information about the results of implementation in St. Petersburg, Baltic 21, the role of NGOs, and more. From Green World (an environmental NGO).

Sustainable Development in Lithuania Provides specific information about many social, economic, environmental policies and plans for Lithuania. A United Nations website. English.

Belarusian Nuclear & Energy Issues

Committee on the Consequences of Chernobyl Catastrophe in Belarus Articles and on-line versions of recently published books about the effects of Chernobyl in Belarus; full-text versions of Belarusian laws about issues related to Chernobyl, and more. The Committee operates under the Belarusian Ministry of Emergency Situations. This site is updated regularly. Russian.

Decommissioning and Public Participation in the US

Several NPPs that are currently being decommissioned in the US have created a mechanism for public participation. Citizen Advisory Boards provide all sectors of society with the opportunity to have regular public meetings, gather information, and have a role in decision-making about site planning and the decommissioning process. This is the sort of mechanism that may be useful in other communities as well.

A great deal of information about these Boards is available on-line (charters, lists of members, minutes of each meeting, etc.):

1. Yankee Rowe Community Board (This plant is located in the state of Massachusetts in the Northeast US) English.
2. Connecticut Yankee Community Decommissioning Advisory Committee (This plant is located in the state of Connecticut in the Northeastern US) English.
3. Maine Yankee See Public Information section, Community Panel link. (This plant is located in the state of Maine in the Northeastern US) English.

Lithuanian Nuclear & Energy Issues/Ignalina NPP

EU Phare project for Ignalina NPP region: "Technical assistance for study of social costs of INPP decommissioning." This website provides information about the activtities of the EU Phare project near Ignalina NPP. The full text of Phare project documents and plans are available here. In English, Russian, and Lithuanian.

Decommissioning of Ignalina NPP Unit 1 The Lithuanian Ministry of Economy provides the full-text documents of key laws related to the closure of Ignalina NPP and the Lithuanian energy policy. In English, Lithuanian. Click on "Main Documents" to find the following:

• Law On The Decommissioning Of Unit 1 At The State Enterprise Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (adopted 2 May 2000). Discusses schedule, financing, safety and other issues. 2 pages.
• Lithuanian National Energy Strategy (adopted 5 October 1999). Includes sections on energy sources, energy efficiency, market liberalization, and more. 13 pages.
• Lithuanian Action Plan for the Energy Sector Up To 2005 To Implement The National Energy Strategy (May 2000 draft). Includes sections on Ignalina NPP decommissioning, local and renewable sources of energy, energy efficiency, and more. 39 pages.

Ignalina Young Nuclear Operators Association website. Provides some basic information about the association and their annual meetings and annual festival of young nuclear power plant workers. Website is in Russian, English, Lithuanian.

Ignalina Handbook Provides technical information about the plant, accident procedures, emergency preparedness, and more. This was published by the Lithuanian Energy Institute with Swedish support. There is a good one-page abstract which summarizes the handbook's contents and goals. 60 pages, English.

Visaginas homepage Visaginas is the town located closest to Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant. Visaginas was built in the 1970s in order to provide housing for the workers at the plant. This website provides the names and contact information of members of the local government. Also has information about Visaginas and photos. Russian, English, Lithuanian.

Visaginas newspaper "Sugardas-TV". Full-text articles from previous editions of the paper (September 2000-present). Many articles are about plans for the future of the town and the impact of the decommissioning of Ignalina on the local community. Russian.

Ignalina Management provides a list of the names and contact information for the mangers at the plant. English, Russian, Lithuanian versions are available (this link goes to the English version).

Photos of Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant and Visaginas, Lithuania

Russian Nuclear & Energy Issues

General

Atom Safe - The Nuclear and Radiation Safety Program Information about Russian nuclear issues, including a focus on the Russian importation of spent nuclear fuel. This program was initiated by the Socio-Ecological Union, and is administered by the Center for Russian Environmental Policy. English, Russian.

Russian Nuclear Power Plants Articles and reports about the Russian Navy, Nuclear Industry, Accidents, Weapons, NPPs, Research Reactors, and much more. From Bellona, a Norwegian non-governmental organization that works actively investigating and reporting on nuclear issues. Updated regularly. English, Russian.

50-year nuclear plan approved About Russian energy plan and development of NPPs in Russia. From Bellona. 1 page, 2000. English, Russian.

Seversk (Tomsk-7)

Seversk The article is a clear introduction to nuclear issues at Seversk (Tomsk-7). It discusses the geography and history of Seversk, the nuclear complex, radioactive waste, accidents, storage of nuclear warheads, and more. From Bellona. 11 pages, includes pictures, 1995. English.

Tomsk-7/Seversk Siberian Chemical Combine An article about the nuclear complex in Tomsk, also discusses the town and region. From the Federation of American Scientists. 7 pages, includes pictures, last updated in 1999. English.

Reprocessing in Siberia: Seversk This site provides links to many articles about nuclear issues in Seversk. From Bellona. Updated very frequently. English, Russian.

Rostov NPP, Rostov-on-the Don

Population of Rostov County against NPP Article from Bellona. 2 pages, 2000. English, Russian.

Balakovo NPP, Saratov

Balakovo Nuclear Power Plant Fact Sheet Basic introduction to nuclear issues in Saratov. 2 pages, undated. English.