Belarus participates in IAEA safety handbook project

MINSK, 10 October (BelTA) – Belarusian Gosatomnadzor is taking part in the development of an IAEA handbook on establishing the safety infrastructure for a nuclear power program, BelTA learned from the the Radioactive Waste Management Office of the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Department of the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry (Gosatomnadzor).

"According to the IAEA, for states thinking about launching their first nuclear energy programs, a series of handbooks will be prepared that give an idea of the actions that need to be taken by a newcomer country in accordance with the recommendations of the agency and practical examples of how it has been done in different countries. The safety handbook will focus on Phase 1: Safety infrastructure considerations before a decision to launch a nuclear power program is taken," Gosatomnadzor said.

Gosatomnadzor participated in an IAEA videoconference consultative meeting on the handbook. The event was also attended by representatives of Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan. Gosatomnadzor, along with other participants, prepared primary materials for inclusion in the handbook and presented them during the consultative meeting. The participants discussed the draft structure of the document proposed by the IAEA and began working on the content.

With the start of commercial operation of the first power unit of the Belarusian NPP in June 2021, Belarus moved to a new status. "We are ready to share with all interested people the experience of creating a modern nuclear and radiation safety infrastructure in Belarus based on the IAEA standards," Gosatomnadzor emphasized.