Energy Ministry: More Russians and Ukrainians willing to work at Belarus’ NPP

Belarus receives many applications from Russians and Ukrainians willing to work at its new nuclear power plant, Belarusian Deputy Energy Minister Mikhail Mikhadyuk told journalists on 12 November, BelTA has learned.

“We receive many job applications from general workers and highly skilled specialists. These are mainly citizens of Russia or Ukraine. Each application is thoroughly considered,” Mikhail Mikhadyuk noted. He added that at the moment some key positions at the Belarusian NPP, such as chief engineer and workshop managers, are occupied by people with relevant education and experience of working at nuclear power plants.

Mikhail Mikhadyuk noted that Belarus is implementing the government-approved program of professional training for the nuclear staff. Belarus’ efforts in this area include university training of specialists, professional retraining, and attracting foreign specialists. Besides, the future employees of the Belarusian nuclear power plant undergo training in Russia.

Minsk hosted the 15th session of the CIS commission for peaceful uses of atomic energy on 12 November. Mikhail Mikhadyuk noted that during the session the participants discussed the issues of staff training in the field of peaceful use of nuclear energy for the CIS member states. “We mainly talked about the professional training of nuclear specialists and discussed ways to make the training system integrated and to attract specialists from the countries of the CIS. The issue of knowledge accumulation and preservation remains topical for us,” Mikhail Mikhadyuk said.