Nuclear Clay

Amidst a period marked by growing volumes of nuclear waste and ongoing discussions regarding its management, technologies that utilise natural materials for containment are gaining prominence. This article takes a historical view of Russian nuclear waste management practices with a focus on the role of clay as a natural material for containing nuclear waste. In particular, it explores the use of clay in multi-barrier technology, highlighting its dual role as a protective layer and a resource for managing nuclear safety risks. The siting of the liquid nuclear waste disposal at the Ignalina NPP site in Lithuania (1976–1980) and of solid nuclear waste disposal at Leningrad NPP in Sosnovy Bor, Russia (2013–2018) are the main foci of this article. These cases contribute to understanding nuclear waste disposal siting in the USSR and modern Russia and enable analysis of nuclear waste discourses describing the sites’ geology as a static or dynamic environment within active or passive safety systems.