IAEA chief advises Japan to study Belarus’ emergency prevention practices

Yukiya Amano, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has recommended fellow experts from Japan to study Belarus’ practices in developing and improving the emergency prevention and response system. The IAEA chief has said it as he met with reporters during the IAEA International Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Power in the 21st Century held in Saint Petersburg on 27-29 June, BelTA has learnt.

Yukiya Amano noted that during his visit to Belarus in April 2012 he was taken to the emergency response center and the emergency personnel training center. According to Yukiya Amano, Belarus has developed an efficient emergency monitoring and response system; the country designs and produces the necessary equipment. “When I came back to Japan, I recommended my Japanese colleagues to seriously consider the Belarusian practices,” he said.

Journalists noted that numerous IAEA delegations frequently come to Belarus and get extensive information related to the construction of the Belarusian NPP from government agencies and organizations. Commenting on this statement, Yukiya Amano noted that “it will never hurt to make sure that NPP construction projects are utterly transparent”. The IAEA believes that its major mission is to ensure safety of the existing nuclear power plants and nuclear facilities under construction. According to Yukiya Amano, the IAEA would like more countries to join the global nuclear energy club, because this type of energy has the best development prospects against the background of the extremely volatile market of hydrocarbon resources. Nuclear energy will help secure sustainable development of national power systems.

As was informed earlier, Belarus is running its nuclear energy program in strict compliance with the IAEA standards and recommendations and is using counseling and technical assistance of the agency. In 2008-2012 Belarus welcomed a great number of IAEA expert missions, including a mission on integrated assessment of the nuclear energy infrastructure. This mission confirmed that the country is ready to construct its first nuclear power plant.

While planning the design and construction of the nuclear power plant, Belarus abides by the UNECE Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Espoo Convention) and proceeds from the principles of security, responsibility and good neighborly relations.