Strong interest in radioactive waste treatment at Belarusian nuclear power plant

People, who come to visit the information center of the Belarusian nuclear power plant, are primarily interested in radioactive waste treatment. The statement was made by Eduard Svirid, Head of the Information and Public Relations Department of the state enterprise Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant, during the online conference hosted by the BelTA website on 1 December.

Eduard Svirid said: “At present the top questions include how radioactive waste will be handled, how much will be generated, where it will be buried.”

The specialist regretted the fact that those opposing the construction of the nuclear power plant often mislead the general public into believing that spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste are the same thing. “During the events we organize we emphasize that spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste are different things. Spent nuclear fuel in essence represents a raw material, virtually the entire periodic table. This is why spent nuclear fuel cannot be identified as waste. Spent nuclear fuel is processed to make new fuel, to extract additional materials, which are then used in the production sector, science, and so on,” explained Eduard Svirid.

The specialist explained that a nuclear power plant generates radioactive waste, too, but how much of it is generated is what matters. “One reactor generates roughly 0.5m3 of high-active waste per annum. As far as medium and low-active waste is concerned, one power-generating unit produces up to 60m3 per annum. Special facilities are used to process the waste to make it safe for storage. After that, the waste is stored on site as long as the power plant keeps working. Once the power plant is decommissioned, the waste is reburied,” said Eduard Svirid. The Head of the Information and Public Relations Department of the state enterprise Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant underlined that the nuclear power plant’s radioactive waste storage facility is a high-tech installation where humidity, temperature, and personnel access is controlled for the sake of monitoring the ongoing processes.

Eduard Svirid said that questions concerning radioactive waste storage now prevail over those concerning the safety of the nuclear power plant. “In the past people lived with stereotypes, the so-called Chernobyl legacy, this is why they were naturally primarily concerned about safety. I don’t know whether we are to credit with the change or maybe television, BelTA or other mass media have done their part but with time we have managed to change the situation. People are no longer interested as much in the safety of the nuclear power plant because they know it well. They are now interested in whether we will be able to build the power plant the way it is supposed to be built,” he explained. Personnel of the nuclear power plant’s information center answer questions during tours of the construction site. As an example the specialist mentioned Teacher’s Day at Nuclear Power Plant. “With approval of the local education administration we’ve offered field trips to people. This option is available to any school in the country,” assured Eduard Svirid.

In turn, Tatiana Shlyk, Head of the Nuclear Energy Information Center, noted that visitors are primarily interested in how the nuclear power plant is designed. “We have educational models, they can study them closely. Citizens also ask how nuclear waste will be processed and buried. These questions are mostly asked by adults. Kids virtually never ask anything. We have a lot of interactive amusements, models, dummies, modern technologies to demonstrate. They don’t feel the need to ask. They feel the need to come once again, see things, learn something new,” she said.