Public oversight over Belarusian nuclear project praised

Oversight on the part of the general public is necessary and is welcomed throughout the life cycle of a nuclear power plant — from construction to decommissioning, Alexei Ferapontov, Head of the Federal Environmental, Industrial and Nuclear Supervision Service of Russia (Rostechnadzor), told BelTA on 20 December after signing an agreement on cooperation with the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Department of the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry.

The Rostechnadzor head pointed out the high level of public control over the progress in implementing the Belarusian nuclear energy project. “A license to build the first power-generating unit has been issued. Relevant public debates and discussions preceded the license. I am sure that every consequent step in the project's implementation will be accompanied by this level of involvement of the general public,” said Alexei Ferapontov.

In his words, professional and competent oversight over the construction progress, operation, and decommissioning of a nuclear power plant by the state-run regulating agency leaves a wide field open to public organizations and initiatives. It is a universally recognized international practice, he said. “Ukraine is now holding public debates to discuss the processes going on in the country’s nuclear engineering industry and it is done like that everywhere. I used Ukraine as an example, which is closest in territorial terms. Belarus is no exception,” added the official.

BelTA reported earlier that the project to build the Belarusian nuclear power plant is being carried out in full compliance with requirements of the IAEA and the Espoo Convention. The Belarusian Energy Ministry and the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Ministry in association with the Foreign Ministry have organized public debates in Belarus and in neighboring countries. One of the biggest public debates took place in Ostrovets. Representatives of the Lithuanian general public, experts, and reporters received exhaustive answers to questions about the report compiled to assess the environmental impact of the Belarusian nuclear power plant, which is under construction, with a tour of the construction site arranged. Concerned agencies of neighboring countries are presented with all the necessary information about the nuclear power plant’s construction progress regularly via official channels.

In 2013 the first stage of the project to conduct the public monitoring of the Belarusian nuclear power plant’s environmental impact was carried out. As part of the project representatives of non-governmental ecological organizations of Belarus, Russia, and Lithuania in association with representatives of the Belarusian Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Ministry and the scientific community took samples of air, water, and soil to assess radiation in Ostrovets, nearby villages, and at the construction site of the nuclear power plant. The results of the survey are now the reference point that will be used later to monitor the operational nuclear power plant’s environmental impact. The survey report was presented in Minsk and Vilnius. The organizers plan to carry out similar surveys next year in the parts of Lithuania, which are adjacent to the construction site.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant will boast 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.