Belarus starts testing readiness of its nuclear power plant to receive nuclear fuel

MINSK, 20 February (BelTA) – An inspection has been launched to check whether the Belarusian nuclear power plant (BelNPP) is ready to receive fresh nuclear fuel, BelTA learned from the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Department of the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry (Gosatomnadzor).

This targeted inspection is designed to see whether the nuclear power plant is ready for the delivery of nuclear fuel and to assess compliance of the BelNPP's managerial and technical solutions with respective laws, including technical regulations in the field of nuclear and radiation safety and to check whether these solutions are sufficient to handle nuclear fuel.

The inspection is carried out by an ad-hoc group set up by Gosatomnadzor.

In line with the legislation, the inspection can last for up to 30 days.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant is being built near Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast using a Russian design featuring two VVER-1200 reactors with the total output capacity of 2,400MW. The first unit is supposed to go online in 2020, with the second one scheduled for launch in 2021.