MP: Belarus and Russia have fulfilled practically all the nuclear energy agreements already

MINSK, 16 March (BelTA) – Belarus and Russia have fulfilled practically all agreements in the sphere of nuclear energy, BelTA learned from Pavel Zavalny, Chairman of the Energy Committee of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.

Members of the Industry, Fuel and Energy Complex, Transport, and Communications Commission of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus met with a delegation of the Energy Committee of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. The meeting took place within the framework of a business trip of the Russian parliament's delegation to Belarus on 15-18 March. The Belarusian and Russian MPs discussed progress in implementing Union State programs on setting up the common markets of electricity, natural gas, oil and oil products of the Union State of Belarus and Russia. They also talked over prospects of advancing interparliamentary cooperation in priority avenues of interaction in the sphere of power engineering (nuclear energy and management of radioactive waste, import substitution in the fuel and energy complex, broader use of gas engine fuel and liquefied natural gas in transport, gas infrastructure development).

Pavel Zavalny said: “As for the development of nuclear energy industry, all the agreements that have been signed have been practically fulfilled. As for those that have been signed with future in mind, work is now in progress and decisions are being made on how radioactive waste, including high-level waste and low-level waste, will be stored, processed, and recycled.”

In his words, these matters were discussed with the Belarusian energy minister and representatives of the Russian state nuclear industry Rosatom earlier on 16 March. “Decisions have already been made on what regulatory documents need to be passed in order to establish the process and what investments in creating the storage facilities are necessary in order to accomplish this task by 2030,” the Russian MP said.