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Astravyets NPP builders pledge to take stress tests

BC, Vilnius, 20.04.2016.Print version
Builders of the Astravyets Nuclear Power Plant under construction close to the Lithuanian border pledge to subject the utility to stress tests to assess its operations under the worst conditions. The tests are required by Lithuania amid concerns with the utility's safety, and the position is supported by the European Commission (EC), informs LETA/BNS.

"We conducted acquisition procedures, announced public tenders, they took place, we should now announce the winner and the organization will then conduct a stress test," Vladimir Gorin, deputy chief engineer of the Belarusian power plant, told journalists at the Astravyets construction site on Wednesday.

 

He refused to specify the countries whose companies were participating in the tender, emphasizing that they were not Belarusian organizations.

 

"Prior to opening the envelopes, I cannot say who [the winner is]. (…) No, this is not a Belarusian organization, it is a foreign organizations," said Gorin.

 

During a visit in Lithuania in February, EC Vice-President Maros Sefcovic in charge of energy union stated that the Astravyets N-plant would have to be subjected to stress tests to prove its safety.

 

Lithuania is concerned about emergency preparedness plans, especially about the evacuation of Vilnius in case of a major accident in Astravyets. Questions about management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste also remain unanswered.

 

Gorin assured that Astravyets N-plant protection and evacuation plans were in place. "We have several plans. There is the state plan for protection of the population (…). There is also a plan for protection of the plant's personnel in case of an emergency. This is a draft document under preparation. It should be approved later and integrated into the population protection plan," said the Astravyets engineer.

 

In his words, the external protective body of the reactor is designed to resist crash of large airliners, therefore, no additional protection measures are planned. Gorin admitted presence of aircraft defense systems next to the nuclear plant under construction.

 

Speaking about management of radioactive waste, the specialist noted that it would be the responsibility of Russia, which will supply nuclear fuel.

 

"There will be two types of waste. There is spent fuel, which is considered a raw material rather than waste, and it will go to Russia for remake under our agreement (…). It will be transported by rail – there are special train cars, special containers. There is also radioactive waste, which are produced as a result of the power plant's operations," he added.

 

In Gorin's words, the radioactive waste will be placed in special containers and stored at a temporary storage for some time for later transportation to a state storage facility for nuclear materials.

 

Members of the Espoo Convention have listed the Astravyets Nuclear Power Plant project as falling short of the convention's requirements. Lithuania has repeatedly criticized Belarus for failing to ensure safety of the project developed merely 50 km from Lithuania's capital Vilnius. Meanwhile, Minsk has rejected the Lithuanian criticism, pledging to guarantee top safety standards at the utility.

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The trip of the BNS journalist to Belarus was paid for by Russia's state-run company Rosatom. This has no impact upon the content of the report.






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