European Commission and ENSREG’s experts cancel their visit to Belarus’ NPP scheduled for Dec 16-18, 2020 – Gosatomnadzor
<p> MINSK, Dec 16 - PrimePress. Experts of the European Commission and the European Nuclear Safety Regulatory Group (ENSREG) cancelled their visit to the construction site of the Belarusian nuclear power plant (Astravyets District, Grodno Oblast) scheduled for December 16-18, 2020, says the Department of Nuclear and Radiation Safety of the Ministry for Emergency Situations of the Republic of Belarus (Gosatomnadzor). </p> <p> </p> <p> The Belarusian Energy Ministry previously announced the visit of a group of experts of Belgium, Austria, Germany, and Ukraine led by Director General of the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority of Finland Petteri Tiippana to the Belarusian NPP construction site on December 16-18, 2020 to make a peer review of the national action plan after the stress tests conducted in 2018. </p> <p> </p> <p> The partner review team cancelled their visit to Belarus. Belarus has not been officially notified of the cancellation, Gosatomnadzor told BelTA state newswire. </p> <p> </p> <p> European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson said on December 16, 2020 that Belarus did not hold a technical preparatory meeting, so the ENSREG mission decided to cancel the visit to the Belarusian nuclear power plant, since such a visit made no sense. </p> <p> </p> <p> “We reaffirm our adherence to voluntary commitments undertaken as a result of stress tests of the Belarusian nuclear power plant. We hope for constructive collaboration with European partners under the current agreements,” Gosatomnadzor says. </p> <p> </p> <p> As previously reported, ENSREG made a peer review of the findings of the stress tests at the Belarusian NPP conducted in 2017-2018. No safety deficiencies (non-compliance with the requirements of Belarusian regulations based on the IAEA safety standards) were detected. </p> <p> </p> <p> Belarus voluntarily carried out the stress tests according to the European Union’s procedure. Based on the findings, experts made several recommendations on the margin of safety in excess of that required by normative acts and safety standards. The mission’s findings served as a basis for Belarus’ national action plan that comprises 23 measures with deadlines for the period from 2019 to 2025. Some of the recommendations have already been implemented, including those related to additional safety systems and equipment. </p> <p> </p> <p> Belarus’ first nuclear power plant in Ostrovets (a town in the Grodno Oblast also referred to as Astravyets) will have two units with a combined capacity of up to 2,400 megawatts. The AES-2006 Russian standard design of (generation 3+) was chosen for its construction. Rosatom’s division Atomstroyexport acts as the general contractor for the NPP construction. The Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant RUE is the project customer and the future operator of the NPP. The ceremony of the official launch of the NPP took place in early November 2020. According to presidential decree No.447 of November 30, 2020, the first power unit of the NPP will be put into commercial operation in 2021, the second power unit – in the first half of 2022. End </p>
2020-12-17
Primepress
MINSK, Dec 16 - PrimePress. Experts of the European Commission and the European Nuclear Safety Regulatory Group (ENSREG) cancelled their visit to the construction site of the Belarusian nuclear power plant (Astravyets District, Grodno Oblast) scheduled for December 16-18, 2020, says the Department of Nuclear and Radiation Safety of the Ministry for Emergency Situations of the Republic of Belarus (Gosatomnadzor).
The Belarusian Energy Ministry previously announced the visit of a group of experts of Belgium, Austria, Germany, and Ukraine led by Director General of the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority of Finland Petteri Tiippana to the Belarusian NPP construction site on December 16-18, 2020 to make a peer review of the national action plan after the stress tests conducted in 2018.
The partner review team cancelled their visit to Belarus. Belarus has not been officially notified of the cancellation, Gosatomnadzor told BelTA state newswire.
European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson said on December 16, 2020 that Belarus did not hold a technical preparatory meeting, so the ENSREG mission decided to cancel the visit to the Belarusian nuclear power plant, since such a visit made no sense.
“We reaffirm our adherence to voluntary commitments undertaken as a result of stress tests of the Belarusian nuclear power plant. We hope for constructive collaboration with European partners under the current agreements,” Gosatomnadzor says.
As previously reported, ENSREG made a peer review of the findings of the stress tests at the Belarusian NPP conducted in 2017-2018. No safety deficiencies (non-compliance with the requirements of Belarusian regulations based on the IAEA safety standards) were detected.
Belarus voluntarily carried out the stress tests according to the European Union’s procedure. Based on the findings, experts made several recommendations on the margin of safety in excess of that required by normative acts and safety standards. The mission’s findings served as a basis for Belarus’ national action plan that comprises 23 measures with deadlines for the period from 2019 to 2025. Some of the recommendations have already been implemented, including those related to additional safety systems and equipment.
Belarus’ first nuclear power plant in Ostrovets (a town in the Grodno Oblast also referred to as Astravyets) will have two units with a combined capacity of up to 2,400 megawatts. The AES-2006 Russian standard design of (generation 3+) was chosen for its construction. Rosatom’s division Atomstroyexport acts as the general contractor for the NPP construction. The Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant RUE is the project customer and the future operator of the NPP. The ceremony of the official launch of the NPP took place in early November 2020. According to presidential decree No.447 of November 30, 2020, the first power unit of the NPP will be put into commercial operation in 2021, the second power unit – in the first half of 2022. End