License to operate first unit of Belarusian nuclear power plant granted

MINSK, 2 June (BelTA) – The state enterprise Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant has been granted the license to operate the first unit of the nuclear power plant, BelTA learned from Head of the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Department of the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry (Gosatomnadzor) Olga Lugovskaya on 2 June.

The Emergencies Ministry Board has decided in favor of expanding the enterprise's license to allow the commercial operation of the first unit. “It is a very important, historical decision. It is a result of lengthy work relating to equipment trials, expert evaluations, oversight over the readiness of the systems. A new age is coming – the age of commercial operation of the Belarusian nuclear power plant,” the official said.

The decision is based on Gosatomnadzor's conclusion, positive results of the expert evaluation of the safety substantiating documents, and an evaluation of the applicant's compliance with requirements and conditions of the license.

The safety evaluation was carried out by the joint energy and nuclear research institute Sosny of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus upon the technical definition of Gosatomnadzor. Gosatomnadzor took care of evaluating the applicant's compliance with requirements and conditions of the license.

Before the Emergencies Ministry Board discussed granting the license to operate the first unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant, Gosatomnadzor arranged public hearings on 30 April. Information about progress and results of the safety evaluation and the compliance evaluation was presented during the hearings. The comments and questions made during the public hearings were taken into account as the Emergencies Ministry Board was preparing the decision to grant the license.