The government of uranium-rich Mongolia has reportedly abandoned negotiations to store spent nuclear fuel for countries it exports to.
The Mainichi Daily News, a Japanese newspaper, reported Saturday that Mongolian President Tsakhia Elbegdorj issued a presidential order last week prohibiting negotiations on waste storage with foreign states and international organizations. He also fired an ambassador who led such talks with Japan and the U.S. early this year.
Mongolian officials had been considering nuclear waste fuel lease contracts, which would allow countries that use Mongolian uranium to return spent fuel for storage there. The Daily News reported U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman began the talks when he visited the country in 2010. Later negotiations also included the United Arab Emirates, and work was progressing on an intergovernmental agreement. Once the talks were made public in May, though, the plan faced strong opposition among the Mongolian public.