Belarus’ public awareness campaign on NPP construction meets international standards

The public hearings on the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant held in Ostrovets on 17 August showed that the public awareness campaign in Belarus pertaining to the construction of the country’s first nuclear station meets the international standards, Chairman of the Belarusian public association “Environmental Initiative” Yuri Solovyov told media in Ostrovets on 17 August, BelTA has learnt.

Those were the second hearings organized for the Lithuanian public. “They are organized to provide the public and representatives of various organizations of Lithuania with comprehensive and competent answers to the questions related to the construction of the nuclear power station,” Yuri Solovyov said.

“It would be great if the neighboring countries made use of the level of the organization of such events including free visas and transportation issues. Because we face an absolutely different situation. For instance, when Belarusian environmentalists want to express their position regarding the construction of the Visaginas station, they are not only denied free visas, but also stopped at the border and sent home,” the expert said.

According to Yuri Solovyov, given the will for an informational dialogue, there is always an opportunity to translate the documents into the national language and distribute them in the media.

“We would like to establish constructive cooperation with the Lithuanian side starting from today’s meeting,” Yuri Solovyov stressed.

On 17 August Ostrovets hosted the debates on the report on environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant with representatives of the Lithuanian public. The participants of the meeting were presented the information on the assessment of the impact of the nuclear power plant on water resources, flora and fauna as well as nuclear safety of the people living in the region.