Materials on Belarus NPP public hearings to be included into EIA report

Materials of the Belarusian-Russian public hearing held in Ostrovets on 17 August to discuss the report on environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the Belarusian nuclear power plant will be included into the final EIA report, Deputy Chairman of the Ostrovets District Executive Committee Viktor Svillo said wrapping up the meeting, BelTA has learnt.

According to the organizers, the debates in Ostrovets lasted for more than four hours. The participants of the meeting were presented detailed reports on all possible impact the construction and operation of the nuclear power plant may have on the environment of the region. All those who wished to speak up were heard out. Comprehensive competent answers were given to all the questions raised at the meeting. The questions that were not voiced could be passed to the organizers of the meeting in a written form. The protocol of the Ostrovets meeting will be prepared and published on the website of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Belarus in the Russian and Lithuanian languages.

Nearly 190 public members, including 102 from the Lithuanian side, registered to partake in the debates. The total amount of the participants exceeded 300 people. Belarusian and Lithuanian media were given a tour of the NPP construction site. Partaking in the hearings on Belarus’ behalf was First Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Vitaly Kulik, Deputy Energy Minister Mikhail Mikhadyuk, Chairman of the Radiation Protection Commission under the Council of Ministers Yakov Kenigsberg. Besides, attending the hearings was a big group of state and independent experts, environmental observers, representatives of the general contractor and the general customer of the nuclear station.