Lithuanian experts pose questions to Belarus about the construction, safety and security of the Astravets nuclear power plant in Minsk
A bilateral meeting of Lithuanian and Belarusian experts is taking place on 13-14 September in Minsk. The meeting focuses on issues related to the construction of the Astravets nuclear power plant (NPP) in Belarus. The last meeting of the Lithuanian and Belarusian delegations on these issues was held on 21-22 June 2016 in Vilnius.
In the meeting in Vilnius, the Lithuanian delegation raised questions, which had remained unanswered for many years. Moreover, the Lithuanian and Belarusian experts revealed key controversy not only over the analysis of the methodology, but also over the application of the approach to international standards, transparency, openness, and the principles of good-neighbourliness.
In the meeting in Minsk, the Lithuanian representatives pose questions about environmental effects and nuclear safety of the Astravets NPP, laying special emphasis on the incidents that have taken place in the Astravets NPP recently. Lithuania believes that the incident of 10 July 2016, when a nuclear reactor vessel was damaged, was especially dangerous. Previous occurrences have shown the tendency for Belarusian authorities to hide such incidents, as well as their attempts to downplay their scope and consequences. Lithuania will require to address the lack of transparency and nuclear safety culture of the Astravets NPP project, an insufficient role of the Belarusian regulator and a general building contractor in ensuring safety of construction work.
The Lithuanian representatives will once again request Belarus to immediately invite the Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Site and External Events Design (SEED) mission to fully evaluate the eligibility of the Astravets NPP construction site for nuclear power plant construction and its selection criteria, and to perform comprehensive risk and safety assessments (stress-tests). The Belarusian representatives have said that they plan to invite the SEED mission and to carry out stress-tests this year, but they have not given any specific dates. Lithuania insists that Belarus should invite an international commission of experts from the European Union and Lithuania.
The meeting in Minsk is attended by experts from various Lithuanian institutions – the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Energy, the Radiation Protection Centre, the State Nuclear Power Safety Inspectorate, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Lithuanian Geological Survey, the Radioactive Waste Management Agency, the National Centre of Physical and Technological Sciences, etc.
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