Belarus, Russia expected to put together nuclear energy roadmap by 1 November

Belarus and Russia are supposed to put together a roadmap on nuclear energy by 1 November. The document will become part of the package of roadmaps, which are being prepared together with the program on tighter Belarus-Russia integration in the Union State of Belarus and Russia. The matter was discussed as Belarusian Deputy Energy Minister Mikhail Mikhadyuk met with Deputy Director General of the Russian state nuclear energy industry corporation Rosatom Nikolai Spassky on 17 September, BelTA has learned.

Mikhail Mikhadyuk said: “There will be a total of 31 roadmaps, including one to guide cooperation in the area of nuclear energy. The Belarusian side and the Russian side have set up the relevant working groups to prepare and submit reconciled roadmaps to their governments. We’ve already started working with the Russian side on our roadmap. The first meeting took place last week, the second one today.”

During the meeting Nikolai Spassky noted that the roadmap will have to be put together on a tight schedule. “Everything has to be ready by 1 November,” he said.

The main avenues of cooperation in the draft roadmap were determined during the first meeting with Rosatom representatives. The Russian side suggested an expanded draft during today’s meeting. It is supposed to be discussed in Minsk at the end of the week.

The draft roadmap stipulates eight items. It has also predetermined the planned timeline for taking measures and implementing projects, with parties responsible specified. The first item of the roadmap is analysis of Belarus’ and Russia’s legislation on nuclear energy. The Energy Ministry, the Emergencies Ministry, the Healthcare Ministry, the State Standardization Committee, and other agencies will have to do that. “We are going to analyze these documents. We will see what harmonization will be needed and in what form. Science as well as personnel training is another direction,” Mikhail Mikhadyuk said.

Apart from that, the roadmap will have to reflect the development of the Belarusian-Russian intergovernmental agreement on spent nuclear fuel. “Its development is stipulated by the intergovernmental agreement on building the Belarusian nuclear power plant. It is time to prepare this document. We’ve passed the strategy on handling spent nuclear fuel. We are starting working on this direction as well,” the deputy energy minister said.