Gosatomnadzor reveals what IAEA missions Belarus may invite soon

08.01.2024

MINSK, 8 January (BelTA) – Head of the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Department of the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry (Gosatomnadzor) Olga Lugovskaya talked to BelTA and revealed what missions of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Belarus may invite in the near future.

Olga Lugovskaya said: “If we talk about IAEA missions, we have not invited anyone yet for 2024 and 2025. But discussions are in progress. The missions are very important for us. Experts come and see what we have done and give recommendations on what we should improve. An outside opinion is always useful. The IAEA has the Integrated Review Service for Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Management, Decommissioning and Remediation (ARTEMIS). It is of great interest for us in view of Belarus having to select a site and build a radioactive waste storage facility at the site. If the IAEA can organize this mission soon, we may invite it. But the final decision has not been made yet.”

In her words, the potential possibility of and the need to invite the IAEA’s Education and Training Appraisal (EduTA) mission have also been discussed.

“The qualification of specialists working in the field of usage of sources of ionizing radiation and at nuclear energy installations is a very important matter. And we look at it within the framework of our permit and licensing process: the readiness of organizations depends on the readiness of their specialists. And a mission, which evaluates how this process is organized in a country, is also very interesting for us. We’ve recently talked to specialists of the International Sakharov Environmental Institute of Belarusian State University. They believe that hosting such a mission is a good idea. We agree with them. But it is necessary to make preparations and understand when it would be most useful and advantageous for us to host this mission,” the Gosatomnadzor head noted.

Belarus and the IAEA have signed a framework program to guide bilateral cooperation till 2027. An international technical aid project is being implemented. It has been adapted taking into account the fact that Belarus has changed its status: the country is no longer a beginner intent on developing the corresponding infrastructure, Belarus is now a country that operates its first nuclear power plant. “IAEA missions may also come within the framework of the international technical aid project but they are more local, they focus on specific matters,” Olga Lugovskaya added.

Belarus is a full member of the global nuclear and radiation safety system. The country has signed the key international conventions in this sphere, including the Convention on Nuclear Safety and the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management. Belarus has to inform the international community about the fulfillment of the country’s obligations. Belarus presented a national report on fulfilling the Convention on Nuclear Safety over the period of six years – from 2017 through 2022 – in the International Atomic Energy Agency in 2023.

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