Representatives of Turkish Nuclear Regulatory Authority visiting Belarus

MINSK, 25 May (BelTA) – Representatives of the Turkish Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NDK) led by the head of the agency Zafer Demircan is in Belarus on a visit on 24-28 May, the press service of the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry told BelTA.

It is the first bilateral event that has been organized to implement the memorandum of understanding between the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Department of the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry (Gosatomnadzor) and the Nuclear Regulatory Authority of Turkey on cooperation and information exchange in the area of nuclear safety and radiation protection. While in Belarus members of the Turkish delegation are expected to meet with executives and specialists of the Emergencies Ministry and Gosatomnadzor. Matters concerning the regulation of nuclear and radiation safety and security will be discussed, namely the development of the regulatory infrastructure, the licensing of activities in the area of nuclear energy usage, oversight over nuclear power plant construction, the organization of regulatory inspections in the course of construction and commissioning of crucial installations, structures, and components, regulatory oversight over delivery and production of nuclear power plant equipment, management of changes during construction and installation, lessons learned during nuclear power plant startup and commissioning, peer reviews within the framework of nuclear power plant stress tests.

According to Belarusian Deputy Emergencies Minister Anatoly Dolgolevets, Belarus and Turkey have a lot in common. Just like Turkey Belarus is a novice country in nuclear energy industry. Both countries are building nuclear power plants using the same Russian design AES-2006 with VVER-1200 reactors. The regulatory infrastructure of both countries develops while relying on safety standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Gosatomnadzor Head Olga Lugovskaya mentioned the historic nature of the visit as the beginning of official interaction between Gosatomnadzor and the NDK on the basis of the memorandum the sides signed in 2020. She said she hopes such meetings would become a good tradition.

In turn, NDK President Zafer Demircan thanked Belarusian colleagues for the organization of the visit and for cooperation. He mentioned importance and mutual benefits from sharing experience for the sake of improving regulatory activities in the two countries.

The NDK representatives will visit the Belarusian nuclear power plant construction site on 27 May.