Belarus, Russia to discuss cooperation in construction, operation of Belarusian nuclear power plant

MINSK, 10 March (BelTA) – A delegation of the lower chamber of the Russian parliament will be in Belarus on 16-18 March, BelTA learned from the Energy Committee of the State Duma of the Russian Federation.

The purpose of the visit of the Russian delegation is to establish direct interparliamentary ties on matters of energy cooperation with the Industry, Fuel and Energy Complex, Transport, and Communications Commission of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus and to get familiar with progress in realization of the project to build units of the Belarusian nuclear power plant.

The State Duma delegation will be led by Energy Committee Chairman Pavel Zavalny. The delegation also includes representatives of the committees on industry and trade, on transport and the development of transport infrastructure, and all the five party factions. While in Belarus members of the delegation are expected to meet with Belarusian Energy Minister Viktor Karankevich, members of the Industry, Fuel and Energy Complex, Transport, and Communications Commission of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to Belarus Boris Gryzlov.

During the meeting the sides are expected to discuss Union State programs on setting up the common markets of electricity, natural gas, oil and oil products, Belarus-Russia cooperation in nuclear industry, and the management of radioactive waste. The sides will also talk over matters concerning joint work on import substitution in the fuel and energy complex and on expanding the use of gas engine fuel and liquefied natural gas (LNG) in transport and gasification.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant will host an offsite conference of the Russian MPs and representatives of the management of the state enterprise Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant, representatives of the Energy Ministry, the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Department of the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry (Gosatomnadzor), Belarusian MPs, representatives of the Russian state nuclear industry corporation Rosatom, the national operator in charge of managing radioactive waste. Participants of the conference are expected to discuss Belarusian-Russian cooperation in building and operating the nuclear power plant in Belarus' territory.

According to Energy Committee Chairman Pavel Zavalny, Belarus-Russia mutually beneficial economic and technological cooperation and the enhancement of political ties are particularly important amid global political confrontation. “Energy industry and its legislative support represent one of the most significant and promising spheres of interaction from the point of view of its influence on the entire economy of our countries. I hope our meetings with Belarusian colleagues will be productive and will give new opportunities for advancing energy cooperation,” he remarked.