PM: Belarus intends to develop cooperation with Russia in nuclear energy

MINSK, 9 September (BelTA) - Belarus intends to develop cooperation with Russia in nuclear energy, Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko said as he met with Director General of the Russian state nuclear industry corporation Rosatom Aleksei Likhachev in Minsk on 9 September, BelTA has learned.

“For Belarus, the construction of a nuclear power plant is an extremely important project. We need to meet regularly, compare notes and solve the issues that arise during the implementation of such a complex, large-scale project. The first unit was put into commercial operation in June of this year. Work is underway on the construction of the second unit. We are extremely interested that it is commissioned within the time frame envisaged in our contract," Roman Golovchenko emphasized.

He noted that on behalf of the head of state, Belarusian specialists, in cooperation with their Russian colleagues, have drawn up a list of promising areas of cooperation in nuclear energy. "It covers such important areas as environmental monitoring, nuclear medicine, setting up a joint center for nuclear scientific research at the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus and many others," the prime minister said.

He also added that the Union State program on nuclear energy is aimed at developing relevant cooperation between the two countries. "We are interested in the cooperation in the operation of nuclear power facilities, ensuring nuclear and radiation safety, emergency preparedness and also management of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel. In the future this program may involve the conclusion of an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the field of transportation of nuclear materials and management of spent nuclear fuel of the Belarusian NPP," Roman Golovchenko noted.

"Currently, our country is working to develop a unified state system for radioactive waste management. We will be grateful to Rosatom State Corporation for consulting assistance in this regard, taking into account the rich experience of the Russian Federation," the prime minister added.

For his part, Aleksei Likhachev noted that the construction of the second unit of the Belarusian NPP is in the final stage. Its estimated readiness is 87-88%. "We are doing our best to make sure our cooperation remain robust for decades to come. We have mapped out new lines of cooperation. We are ready to actively engage in projects related to energy storage, smart energy, and digital solutions. And, of course, important for us are the developments of our academies of sciences, cooperation with the Kurchatov Institute, scientific research, up to the creation of a research nuclear reactor on the territory of Belarus," he noted.