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MOSCOW, 30 May (BelTA) - Belarus and Lithuania will hold consultations on Belarus' NPP at the level of technical experts in June, Belarus Deputy Energy Minister Mikhail Mikhadyuk told media on the sidelines of the international forum Atomexpo in Moscow, BelTA has learned.

“The 35th session of the Implementation Committee (Espoo Convention) instructed Belarus and Lithuania once again to hold consultations at the level of technical experts. Such consultations will be held in June,” Mikhail Mikhadyuk said. He stressed that the experts should discuss the issues step by step rather than make unsubstantiated claims.

Mikhail Mikhadyuk also urged to abandon double standards in assessing nuclear projects. He drew attention to the fact that the BelNPP design corresponds to the post-Fukushima requirements, and includes the optimal set of active and passive safety systems. “When we ask Lithuanians whether there are better designs in the world, they just shrug their shoulders,” Mikhail Mikhadyuk noted.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant is a project to build an AES-2006 type nuclear power plant 18km away from Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast. The BelNPP will have two power-generating units with the total output capacity of up to 2,400MW (2x1,200MW). In line with the general contract for building the nuclear power plant the first power-generating unit is scheduled for commissioning in 2018, with the second one to go online in 2020.