Belarus, Russia to sign agreement on spent nuclear fuel management by year end

MOGILEV, 10 November (BelTA) – Belarus and Russia will sign an intergovernmental agreement on the management of spent nuclear fuel by the end of the year. The move is stipulated by the Union State program on developing nuclear energy industry. Progress of the program's implementation was reviewed at a session of the Energy and Transport Commission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union State of Belarus and Russia in Mogilev, BelTA has learned.

According to Belarusian Energy Minister Viktor Karankevich, virtually all the steps stipulated by the Union State program have been fulfilled. Among other things Belarus president decree No.137 was passed. The decree introduced a regulation on licensing activities in the area of usage of nuclear energy and sources of ionizing radiation. The law on regulating safety in the course of using atomic energy was also passed.

The intergovernmental agreement on the management of spent nuclear fuel is supposed to be signed by the end of the year, the energy minister said.