IAEA praises Gosatomnadzor-Rostekhnadzor cooperation

Cooperation between the Department for Nuclear and Radiation Safety of the Emergencies Ministry of Belarus (Gosatomnadzor) and the Federal Service for Ecological, Technological and Nuclear Supervision (Rostekhnadzor) has been hailed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rostekhnadzor head Alexei Ferapontov told BelTA after the ceremony of signing a cooperation agreement with Gosatomnadzor of Belarus.

According to Alexei Ferapontov, IAEA is showing interest in the cooperation between the two agencies of Belarus and Russia: “At the IAEA platforms we talk about cooperation with Belarusian counterparts, joint activity in the monitoring over each of the stages of the implementation of the Belarusian nuclear and energy project. This summer IAEA named the cooperation between the Belarusian and Russian national regulators as a good example for the international community.”

“The international community expressed confidence that in places where Belarus lacks competence, Russian partners provide necessary assistance, and it is a good example,” the Rostekhnadzor head said. He noted that Russia, undertaking obligations to build a nuclear facility, guarantees safety and the best Russian technologies. Rostekhnadzor undertakes the same commitments. “We pledge to share the experience we have in the construction and exploitation of nuclear power plants in Russia and abroad,” Alexei Ferapontov stressed.

The agreement signed in Minsk on 20 December will allow the national regulators of Belarus and Russia to strengthen cooperation in the nuclear and radiation security sector, conduct joint inspections and on-the-job training.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant will have two power-generating units with the total capacity of up to 2,400MW (1,200MW each). The Russian design AES-2006 has been chosen to build the power plant. The design is fully compliant with international standards and IAEA recommendations. The Russian public joint-stock company OAO NIAEP – ZAO Atomstroyexport is the general designer and the general contractor for building the power plant.