Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 5 July (BelTA) – The Belarusian nuclear power plant will allow reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 10 million tonnes per year, BelTA learned from Lilia Dulinets, Deputy Director of the Nuclear Energy Department of the Belarusian Energy Ministry, during the roundtable session held in Minsk on 5 July to discuss environmental aspects and safety in the development of nuclear power industry.

Technologies and the world’s standards of building and operating nuclear power plants enable maximum safety for the environment and the minimal potential impact on human health. However, according to Lilia Dulinets, results of the latest opinion poll about the development of the nuclear energy industry in Belarus indicate that Belarusians know little about environmental aspects of the Belarusian nuclear power plant project.

The environment around the Belarusian nuclear power plant construction site has been constantly monitored since 2009. An automated system has been deployed in the area, with results available to the public online. The Belarusian side has reached an agreement with the Russian Federation on returning spent nuclear fuel. The fuel that the Belarusian nuclear power plant will acquire from Russian companies will be returned for processing to Russia.

The roundtable session on environmental aspects and safety in the development of nuclear power industry was held by the Belarusian Energy Ministry.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant is built using the Russian nuclear power plant design AES-2006 18km away from Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast. The power plant will have two power-generating units, with each able to generate 1,200MW of electricity. The first unit is scheduled for commissioning in 2019, with the second one to go online in 2020.