Dialogue with Lithuania on the NPP construction project in Belarus should be held at the level of experts rather than politicians, Belarus Deputy Energy Minister Mikhail Mikhadyuk told the media on the sidelines of Atomexpo in Moscow.
“Unfortunately, there were practically no nuclear energy specialists at the consultations that we held with Lithuania. We have always involved our specialists to ensure that this is the conversation at the professional level. We invited Lithuanian specialists to visit the site in Ostrovets. But there was no movement to meet us halfway. This is a purely political issue. Some politicians earn points on this topic,” Mikhail Mikhadyuk said.
“When selecting a site for the construction of a nuclear power plant in Belarus we carried out considerable research. Therefore, Lithuania's complaints regarding the site in Ostrovets are unfounded,” the deputy minister believes. “The issue is purely political, but they are trying to disguise it as some security concerns. Our project has been recognized by the IAEA and the entire international community. This is a reference project. What security issues are they talking about?” he said.
The Belarusian nuclear power plant is a project to build a VVER-1200 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). The first power-generating unit will be commissioned in 2019, the second – in 2020.