Rosatom fleshes out plans for cooperation with Belarus

MINSK, 3 September (BelTA) – Director of Rosatom's country office in Belarus Stanislav Levitsky talked about plans for cooperation with the Belarusian side at a science festival in Minsk on 2 September, BelTA has learned.

Stanislav Levitsky said: “We implemented the Belarusian nuclear power plant project but our cooperation does not stop at that. We intend to advance partnership with Belarus in a number of areas. A complex program on bilateral cooperation in the area of nuclear non-energy projects has been worked out. It provides for setting up joint manufacturing enterprises, for selling high-tech products in third countries, for joint scientific and technical activities, for getting the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus and its institutes involved in Rosatom's scientific research and R&D work.”

Speaking about a research reactor in Belarus, the executive noted that an intergovernmental agreement is in development. “It is complicated matter. Any project must rest on a clear feasibility study. Several rounds of negotiations will be held with the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus and central government agencies to work out the final configuration of the research reactor, to make the decision on how exactly we will implement this project,” Stanislav Levitsky noted.

Belarus is considering building another nuclear power plant. Stanislav Levitsky said: “We are always ready to lend a helping help to meet specific needs of Belarus. If Belarusian partners want to build the second nuclear power plant, then we are ready to participate in it considering our manufacturing cooperation ties and synergy. But Belarus will have to make the decision. We don't influence decision making in any way. However, we are always in favor of development of nuclear energy industry.”

He also remarked that Rosatom supports initiatives like the science festival. “I'd like to thank the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus for partnership. We understand how important it is to get young people involved in science, engineering, to get them immersed in manufacturing and scientific culture. Future personnel for economy branches are formed while they are in school,” the director of Rosatom's country office in Belarus stressed.

The science festival took place in the Central Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus in Minsk on 2 September. It was the fifth science festival so far this year. The festival included traditional zones such as healthcare, robots, space industry as well as brand new formats such as a zone dedicated to scientific fiction (sci-fi), a venue for meetings with prominent scientists, writers, and cosmonauts, and even a concert by a robot orchestra.

The information center for nuclear energy of the city of Minsk with assistance of AO Atomstroyexport (the engineering division of Rosatom) organized the scientific and education venue Atom Team as part of the science festival. Visitors could participate in engineering workshops and popular science lectures, intellectual games, and atomic quizzes.