Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 14 October (BelTA) – Belarus has developed a clear-cut nuclear and radiation safety oversight system, Petteri Tiippana, Director General of the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK), the head of the mission of the IAEA Integrated Regulatory Review Service to Belarus, told reporters on 14 October, BelTA has learned.

Judging by what we have seen during the mission, we can say that Belarus has established a clear-cut nuclear and radiation safety oversight system. The country is strongly committed to the safety strategy. I arrived at this conclusion after our meetings with representatives of the authorizing bodies, regulatory authorities and government agencies, Petteri Tiippana said.

Belarus is a nuclear “newcomer”, and its main task is to settle all the matters before the launch of the nuclear power plant. The expert noted that this is necessary for effective operation of the plant and its proper oversight. “This is the major task in the list of the priority objectives of the Belarusian government. A set of measures has already been developed for this. It is very important that the government continues to support the effort and provide resources to fulfill this task,” Petteri Tiippana stressed.

Belarus hosted its first IRRS mission on 2-14 October. The major goal of the mission was to evaluate the conformity of Belarus’ regulatory infrastructure and regulating activity with the IAEA safety standards.