Potupchik: Safety is absolute priority for Belarus in NPP project

Safety is an absolute priority for Belarus in the development of the national nuclear energy, Belarus’ Energy Minister Vladimir Potupchik said when speaking at the Nuclear Energy in the 21st Century conference in St. Petersburg, BelTA learned.

"Belarus has taken a firm decision to develop nuclear energy. Our goal is peaceful and safe use of nuclear energy for the benefit of the Belarusian nation,” the Minister said.

According to him, like no other country Belarus is interested in the safety and reliability of the future nuclear power plant, as the country has experienced the full brunt of the impact of the Chernobyl accident, and has learned all the lessons of this tragedy.

"Our national legislation defines nuclear security as the high priority. When choosing the type of reactor and the place of the plant we were guided by security reasons,” said Vladimir Potupchik.

The Minister said that pre-construction works on the site in Ostrovets District, Grodno Oblast, have been almost completed. The works on pouring the first concrete into the foundation of the nuclear power plant will, in accordance with the national legislation, be started after the state examination of the project documentation of the Belarusian nuclear power plant by the competent authorities in Russia and Belarus, and after Belarus receives the regulator's license for the construction of a nuclear power plant.

Vladimir Potupchik reaffirmed Belarus’ commitment to comply with norms and standards of the IAEA, to meet all international obligations in the nuclear field within the framework of the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context.

"In turn, from its partners under those international legal instruments Belarus expects a constructive dialogue based on the common interest in the development of safe nuclear energy," he added.

The Minister also expressed satisfaction with the level of cooperation of Belarus with its strategic partner, the Russian Federation. “Russia provides timely and effective assistance to Belarus on all aspects of the national nuclear development project. Our countries have signed a number of intergovernmental agreements in the field of nuclear energy,” the Minister said.

According to him, the Belarusian-Russian interaction is not limited to the construction of the nuclear power plant. He recalled that in February this year, Russia and Belarus signed an agreement on cooperation in nuclear safety. Work is underway on a draft agreement on early notification of a nuclear accident and the exchange of information in the field of nuclear and radiation safety.