Rosatom and Lomonosov Moscow State University to Co-Host Seminar on Radioactive Waste Safety Barriers

From October 19 to 22, 2026, Lomonosov Moscow State University will host a scientific and technical seminar on the creation and monitoring of safety barriers at its sports complex. The event is jointly organized by Lomonosov Moscow State University, the Russian National Operator for Radioactive Waste Management (FSUE NO RAO), a subsidiary of Rosatom, and the Pilot Demonstration Center for Decommissioning of Uranium-Graphite Nuclear Reactors (JSC PDC UGR).

The seminar focuses on the development of technologies for the creation, reconstruction, and control of engineered safety barriers. Topics include the evolution of design concepts for engineered safety barriers, selection and justification of barriers for special radioactive waste disposal and storage facilities, patterns of clay barrier material transformation and their role in safety justification for long-term radioactive waste disposal, incoming inspection of clay barrier materials during nuclear facility decommissioning, and surveys of completed barriers using various geophysical methods. Experts will also exchange views on new technologies and materials required for safety barrier construction.

The seminar will be held in person with remote participation options and no registration fee. The organizers invite experts in relevant fields to deliver oral presentations and will hold a poster competition for young professionals, graduate students, and undergraduate students. Applications for participation must be sent to the designated email address by August 31, 2026, with report materials expected to be submitted by October 7, 2026.

The Russian National Operator for Radioactive Waste Management is part of the Rosatom Environmental Solutions Division and is primarily responsible for safe management of radioactive waste, operation and closure of final radioactive waste disposal facilities, and contracting for the design and construction of related facilities. The company operates a near-surface radioactive waste disposal facility in Novouralsk with a total capacity of 55,000 cubic meters, and two near-surface disposal facilities are under construction in Seversk and Ozersk. As part of the deep disposal facility project for high-level radioactive waste in Krasnoyarsk Krai, the company is also building a standalone underground research laboratory.

The Pilot Demonstration Center for Decommissioning of Uranium-Graphite Nuclear Reactors, located in Seversk, Tomsk Oblast, is also part of the Rosatom Environmental Solutions Division. The center focuses on safety assurance for decommissioned nuclear facilities, development and application of decommissioning technologies, decommissioning of industrial uranium-graphite reactors and other nuclear and radiation hazardous facilities, and improvement of environmental conditions in affected areas. The center has collaborated with industrial research institutes and the Russian Academy of Sciences to develop the "in-situ" decommissioning technology for uranium-graphite reactors and has participated in the implementation of federal target programs related to nuclear and radiation safety in Russia.