A spokesman for Russia's state nuclear corporation said Friday that a facility for the disposal of Soviet-era radioactive waste was to be built in the country's Far East.
Officials said they made the announcement to quell media speculation that a site was being set aside for the dumping of nuclear waste from abroad. Those rumors appear to have been provoked by a notice posted on the government procurement website earlier this week calling for offers to build the plant.
A Rosatom corporation spokesman said the plant would collect and later process radioactive waste from outdated Soviet-era facilities scattered around the region.
Construction is scheduled to begin in 2015.
The plant will also be used to remove radioactive elements from decommissioned nuclear ships and submarines.
