Belarus plans to host two more IAEA missions before BelNPP launch

Belarus plans to host two more IAEA missions before the launch of the nuclear power plant in Ostrovets District, Belarus Energy Minister Viktor Karankevich told the media, BelTA has learned.

The nearest mission is the Operational Safety Review (pre-OSART). “The IAEA pre-OSART mission is scheduled to start on 1 April 2019. The Energy Ministry has sent formal notification to the IAEA Secretariat,” Viktor Karankevich said.

The INIR Phase III mission is expected to review Belarus’ nuclear power infrastructure. It will be held after the completion of a package of missions that are mandatory in accordance with the IAEA requirements for nuclear newcomers. Some of them must be conducted by the Emergencies Ministry. “There is no specific date for the second mission, but it is in the plans,” the minister said.

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.