MINSK, 21 November (BelTA) – The National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (NASB) and the Russian state nuclear industry corporation Rosatom discussed prospects of cooperation in the development of nuclear technologies at a seminar in Minsk on 20 November, BelTA has learned.
First Deputy Chairman of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Sergei Chizhik and President of the company Rusatom Overseas Yevgeny Pakermanov underlined the importance of partnership in building Belarus' first nuclear power plant. Prospects of implementing a project to develop nuclear technology using a modern nuclear research and technology center were mentioned as well.
Rosatom and the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus are considering the possibility of building and operating a nuclear research and technology center in Belarus. The center will have a multipurpose research reactor unit with the output capacity of up to 20MW, a radiochemical facility for handling the medical isotopes the reactor will generate, a materials science facility to handle post-reactor studies of construction materials and samples, a facility for the neutron transmutation doping of silicon, and an engineering complex.
If built, the nuclear research and technology center will be useful for training personnel for the Belarusian nuclear power plant. It can be used to perform nuclear research, produce radio isotopes, and improve radiation control and environmental monitoring methods.
The project is also expected to give a boon to the development of other branches of the national economy such as healthcare, production sector, and agriculture. “We expect that the agreement on building the center in Belarus will be reached soon,” said the Rusatom Overseas president.
The seminar on nuclear research and technologies powered by a multipurpose nuclear reactor in Belarus took place in the NASB Presidium in Minsk on 20 November. Representatives of ministries and the relevant government agencies, research organizations, and Rosatom representatives took part in the event.
