Independent control over Belarusian nuclear station’s construction, operation

An effective system has been created in Belarus to allow independent public control over all the stages involved in the construction, operation, and decommissioning of the nuclear power plant, which is being built. The information was released by Yuri Solovyev, head of the Belarusian public organization Ecological Initiative, at the roundtable session held on 13 December to discuss the official presentation of results of the project accomplished in 2013 to conduct the public monitoring of the Belarusian nuclear power plant’s environmental impact, BelTA has learned.

According to Yuri Solovyev, the public monitoring in 2013 was the first part of the public control that ecologists intend to carry out. “Nuclear projects should not be implemented without public control. I am glad that the radioactive and ecological status of the environment in the area of the Belarusian nuclear power plant construction site has been evaluated independently. This information cannot be hidden, get lost or altered because it is now public domain,” he stressed.

Scientists and specialists from Belarus, Lithuania, and Russia collected information about radiation levels in the air, soil and water. The information will be used later to assess the environmental impact in the course of the nuclear power plant’s operation.
“We have examined water in the Viliya River, which is called Neris in Lithuania, because our neighbors fear the nuclear power plant’s influence on this water artery above all. We will continue monitoring it. If something changes with regard to the level of radionuclides in the river and in the environment around the station, we will deliver the information via all possible channels,” explained the Belarusian activist.

According to leading research officer of the United Energy and Nuclear Research Institute Sosny Viktor Dashkevich, the seriousness of the intentions of the ecologists is confirmed by the tools used during the monitoring. “They used devices that can register one subatomic decomposition per two tonnes of water. Those are very sensitive devices. They will be used later on. The achieved results indicate that it is a clean area and everything has to be done to keep it that way during the operation of the Belarusian nuclear power plant”.

Belnipienergoprom Deputy Director Alexander Apatsky called upon the general public to take part in control over all the stages of the Belarusian nuclear power plant construction. “The decision has been made, the power plant is being built using the world’s safest nuclear power plant design and utilizing all the possible active and passive safeguards. The general public should stop debating whether Belarus needs it. It is now necessary to closely control the observance of all the design and safety requirements at the level of choice of contractors, suppliers, construction and installation work. Everyone would like the station to comply with the design’s reliability and safety norms in addition to normal operation,” said the official.