The head of Ukraine's national energy company, Energoatom, said Friday a facility to store spent fuel from the country's nuclear power plants will be built near Chernobyl, the site of the world's worst nuclear accident.
Yuriy Nadashkovskiy said construction could begin in 2007 and be completed three years later.
"A thorough analysis of all expert findings required for projects of this scale by the ministry will precede the decision making," Yuriy Boyko said.
Boyko also said a public debate will be held before a final decision is adopted.
"No decision will be made without studying society's opinion on the matter, considering the Chernobyl tragedy," he said.
The idea, although approved by President Viktor Yushchenko, has stirred wide protests from public and environmental organizations.
Ukraine was badly affected by the explosion of the fourth reactor of the Chernobyl NPP. The radioactive fallout also contaminated large areas of Belarus, Russia, northern Europe and other regions farther from the disaster.
In April, Greenpeace said in a report that up to 600,000 people may die of cancers developed as a result of Chernobyl radiation exposure, a huge increase on UN figures, which put the excess cancer death toll at 9,300.
A nuclear waste depository could be built within the 30-km (18-mile) exclusion zone imposed in the aftermath of the disaster, after 135,000 people were evacuated. The surrounding area has remained largely deserted to this day.
Ukraine's four nuclear power plants currently employ a total of 13 power units. Energoatom plans to build another 10 power units in the country by 2030.
On Friday, Boyko said Ukraine is stepping up its nuclear power program.
"There is no alternative to nuclear power industry development," the minister said.
