MINSK, 8 June (BelTA) – The Belarusian nuclear power plant (BelNPP) is on the agenda of the upcoming Meeting of the Parties to the Espoo Convention in Minsk, Belarusian First Deputy Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Minister Iya Malkina told the media on 8 June, BelTA has learned.
“The transboundary cooperation between Belarus and Lithuania remains in the focus of attention of the Implementation Committee of the Espoo Convention. The Belarusian nuclear power plant will be among the items on the agenda,” Iya Malkina said.
“The direct bilateral negotiations currently proceed in a calm manner. The countries communicate through letters. We do not expect any unpleasant surprises during this event,” Iya Malkina added.
Belarus will host the seventh session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Espoo Convention and the third session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Convention serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol from 13 to 16 June. The events will bring together over 200 representatives of 45 countries signatories to the Espoo Convention, including ministers, deputy heads of environmental protection ministries and other agencies, high-ranking officials from international organizations, financial institutions, and members of the public. It is expected that the Minsk declaration will be signed at the joint high-level segment.
The Belarusian nuclear power plant is a project to build a new-generation nuclear power plant with two VVER-1200 type reactors (1,200MW each) 18km away from Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast. The first power-generating unit is scheduled for commissioning in 2019, with the second one to go online in 2020.
