RADIOCARBON TRACE OF THE BILIBINO NPP

Ekidin, A. A.¹, Nazarov, E. I.¹, Vasyanovich, M. E.¹, Kukarskikh, V. V.², Ershova, O. V.³, Parkhomchuk, E. V.⁴

1. Institute of Industrial Ecology, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Ekaterinburg, Russian Federation)
2. Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Ekaterinburg, Russian Federation)
3. Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Novosibirsk, Russian Federation)
4. Novosibirsk National Research State University (Novosibirsk, Russian Federation)

The article was received on November 18, 2025

Bibliographic description: Ekidin A. A., Nazarov E. I., Vasyanovich M. E., Kukarskikh V. V., Ershova O. V., Parkhomchuk E. V. Radiocarbon trace of the Bilibino NPP. Arctic: Ecology and Economy, 2026, vol. 16, no. 2.

Abstract:  The study is aimed at assessing the accumulation of ¹⁴C in tree vegetation from Bilibino NPP emissions over the entire operating period. The researchers carried out ¹⁴C measurements using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). The methodological approach used in the study allows tracing the dynamics of ¹⁴C accumulation in larch tree rings over the period from 1974 to 2022. The results range from 233.91±1.16 to 315.7±1.75 Bq/kg C. The largest contribution of Bilibino NPP emissions to the ¹⁴C content was 13.9±1.2 Bq/kg C, which was found in tree rings formed in 2020. In the considered sector of the predominant wind direction, 4.2±0.6 MBq of ¹⁴C have accumulated over 48 years of operation of the EGP-6 reactor units, which amounts to no more than 3.56×10–6% of the total ¹⁴C emissions from the Bilibino NPP during this period. Considering the operation completion of the EGP-6 power units, these unique results can be used as a safety indicator during all stages of the Bilibino NPP decommissioning. 

Keywords: Bilibino Nuclear Power Plant, emissions, carbon-14, radionuclide accumulation, tree rings, larch, timber stock

Funding:  The study was supported by Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, project FUMN-2024-0001.

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