MOSCOW, November 28 (RIA Novosti) - Russia has dismantled 145 out of 197 decommissioned Soviet-era nuclear submarines, the head of the Federal Agency for Nuclear Power said Tuesday.

Russia has signed cooperation agreements on the disposal of decommissioned nuclear submarines with the United States, Britain, Canada, Japan, Italy and Norway. The disposal program will cost an overall $2 billion, toward which Russia had allocated $850 million as of 2005.

"We have a joint nuclear submarine dismantlement program that involves a number of countries, including EU members," Sergei Kiriyenko said. "Out of 195 nuclear submarines decommissioned from the Russian Navy, we have dismantled 145."

"The disposal of another 17 is under way, and we are preparing to scrap 32 more in the future," he said.

During the dismantling process, spent nuclear fuel is removed from the submarine's reactors and sent to storage, the hull is cut into three sections, and the bow and stern are removed and destroyed. The reactor section is sealed and transferred to storage.

"We will scrap all decommissioned nuclear submarines by 2010," the nuclear chief said.