Belarusian nuclear safety agency to expand cooperation with WENRA

Representatives of the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Department of the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry took part in the spring plenary session of the Western European Nuclear Regulators Association (WENRA) in Geneva, BelTA learned from Oleg Sobolev, Head of the Communications and Public Information Office of the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Department of the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry.

Head of the Department Olga Lugovskaya delivered a report to outline the nuclear and radiation safety regulations in use in Belarus, including in view of the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant. As part of the consequent discussion WENRA welcomed Belarus’ participation in events of the Association and, in particular, called for getting representatives of Belarus actively involved in the operation of the working groups tasked with developing modern nuclear safety practices. Those include regulations on handling radioactive waste, the decommissioning of nuclear plants, and the harmonization of requirements for reactors.

Cooperation with WENRA represents another successive step in the policy of the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Department of the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry, which is aimed at expanding participation in international associations of regulating bodies in the area of nuclear and radiation safety.

In September 2015 for the first time representatives of the Belarusian nuclear industry safety agency will take part as an observer in a session of the forum of regulating agencies of the countries that operate water-moderated energy reactors.

Oleg Sobolev remarked that Belarus is a country, which is about to become part of the nuclear power engineering industry. “We will commission our first reactor in 2018 and the status will change. The forum brings together the countries that already operate such reactors and the countries that supply the technologies,” noted the Head of the Communications and Public Information Office of the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Department of the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry. As part of the construction and operation of nuclear power plants certain minor things are encountered and other regulating agencies need to be made aware of them. “We are not preparing to operate [the nuclear power plant] with zero knowledge. We are accumulating a certain stock of knowledge in anticipation of the launch of our nuclear power plant with its water-moderated reactors,” stressed the specialist. Apart from that, participants of the relevant events get an opportunity to work together to identify problems and find solutions for them.

Belarus has been a member of the Regulatory Cooperation Forum (RCF) since 2012. A delegation led by IAEA Deputy Director General Denis Flory visited Belarus in late 2014 within the framework of the Regulatory Cooperation Forum. The visit was focused on the development of safety practices in the nuclear industry.