European nuclear safety experts started inspecting Astravyets site Aug 31

<p> MINSK, Aug 31 - PrimePress. Experts of the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group (ENSREG) are visiting the site of the Belarusian nuclear power plant, reads a message posted on the telegram channel of the Belarusian Energy Ministry. </p> <p>   </p> <p> ENSREG experts are working at the site of the Belarusian nuclear power plant as part of the second phase of the peer review of the national action plan, which was put together as a result of stress tests of the nuclear power plant. </p> <p>   </p> <p> The group include experts from Austria, Germany, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Lithuania, Greece, Bulgaria and Finland. The group is headed by Petteri Tiippana, Director General of the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK). </p> <p>   </p> <p> In the period from Aug 31 till Sep 2 the experts are set to visit the technological facilities of the Belarusian nuclear power plant, including the "nuclear island" of the first power unit, a backup diesel power plant, general facilities, administrative and auxiliary buildings of the second power unit. </p> <p>   </p> <p> The experts will evaluate progress in fulfilling the national action plan taking into account the recommendations ENSREG gave in 2018. They will analyze progress in the realization of planned measures by the Belarusian side. The experts will focus on three aspects of the stress tests: external natural impact, loss of power and loss of the ultimate heat sink, and the management of severe accidents. </p> <p>   </p> <p> The first phase of the peer review by ENSREG took place in Q1 2021. ENSREG experts visited the Belarusian nuclear power plant site in February 2021. They went to all the facilities they were interested in. The work focused on seven priority areas, which had to be analyzed before the first unit was commissioned. </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. The first power unit of the NPP is expected to be put into commercial operation in 2021, the second power unit – in 2022. End </p>

2021-09-01

Primepress