Belarus, Energy, Energy Market, Lithuania

Saulius Kutas, former chief of the Lithuanian State Nuclear Power Safety Inspectorate, says it is important to demand answers not only from Belarus but also from the manufacturer of the reactor, Russia's Rosatom company.

"I believe the incident was serious, as nuclear equipment should not be treated this way under any circumstances, it cannot be tossed around and crashed, it should therefore be subjected to thorough checks, as it is not empty – it contains many parts inside it. It has to be tested very thoroughly, and due to the close proximity to our territory, we must demand (answers) from not only Belarus but also from the manufacturer," said Kutas.

In his words, the official statement from the Belarusian Energy Ministry gives an impression that the reactor could have indeed tumbled and be damaged. Kutas said that VVER-1200 reactors are transported to the Astravyets utility in a horizontal position and later need to be placed vertically, therefore, the incident may have occurred during lifting operations.

The expert said the body of the reactor may have to be sent back to the manufacturer for repairs or even replacement.

"This is a possible scenario, depending on what happened to it. I do not rule out that it may need to be repaired or even replaced with a new one," Kutas told.

In his words, the incident poses no threat at the moment, as it contains no radioactive substances, the incident may have an effect on the utility's future operations.

On Tuesday, the Belarusian Energy Ministry confirmed "extreme situation" at the Astravyets power plant, although the contractor of the project, Atomstrojeksport, which is part of the Rosatom corporation, had denied media reports about a possible another incident at the Astravyets construction site.