The commission of the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Department of the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry (Gosatomnadzor) will check the readiness of the Belarusian nuclear power plant for the delivery of nuclear fuel, Director for Nuclear and Radiation Material Management, Chief Engineer at ASE Sergei Nistratov told the Belarusian media on 6 September, BelTA has learned.
“The commission of Belarus' Gosatomnadzor will start working at the station in late September. It will conduct a comprehensive inspection to check the readiness of the nuclear power plant for the delivery of fuel,” Sergei Nistratov said. In his words, specialists will assess the construction of the main facilities involved in the acceptance and temporary storage of fuel, transport infrastructure on the construction site, physical protection facilities. Belarus also expects at IAEA inspection in October 2018.
Before the delivery of the fuel, it is necessary to get a permit for the delivery of nuclear fuel to the site. The Gosatomnadzor are already considering the corresponding documents.
The Belarusian nuclear power plant is being built using the Russian standard Generation III+ design AES-2006 near Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast. The first power-generating unit is scheduled for commissioning in 2019, with the second one to go online in 2020. The first delivery of nuclear fuel to the plant is planned for late 2018.