MINSK, 14 February (BelTA) – Belarus will submit its next national report for the Convention on Nuclear Safety to the IAEA in August, Head of the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Department of the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry (Gosatomnadzor) Olga Lugovskaya told a press conference in BelTA's press center.
"Belarus signed the Convention on Nuclear Safety in the mid-1990s. This process is continuous. A national report is prepared every three years. If we are talking about the Convention on Nuclear Safety, then this report includes safety aspects of all facilities that are classified under this convention," said Olga Lugovskaya. “The report touches on all aspects of safety of the facility itself and also of infrastructure elements. These are the issues related to the regulatory framework and all procedures (permits, inspections). Accordingly, this report is posted on the IAEA's website so that all interested countries can study it and ask questions," Olga Lugovskaya said.
According to her, Belarus is very popular in this regard. “Our nuclear program is of great interest to neighboring countries and to the world community in general. Therefore, we are trending in terms of the number of questions that we are asked. We receive questions and in turn we address questions to other countries. They are also posted on the IAE's website. This is an integrated process. Further, we prepare appropriate answers to these questions and defend the national report on the IAEA's website. Recently, given the epidemic situation, we have had no face-to-face meetings. They all have been postponed. This year we are going to defend our report. We are planning to defend the national report on the safety of spent fuel management and the safety of radioactive waste management in a face-to-face meeting,” the Gosatomnadzor head said.
The meeting is scheduled for June-July. In August Belarus will submit its next national report for the Convention on Nuclear Safety to the IAEA.
The Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management was adopted in 1997. It aims to achieve and maintain a high level of safety in spent fuel and radioactive waste management worldwide by strengthening national measures and international cooperation. In Belarus, the joint convention was ratified on 17 July 2002 and entered into force on 24 February 2003.
The Convention on Nuclear Safety, adopted on 17 June 1994, has the following objectives: to achieve and maintain a high level of nuclear safety worldwide through the strengthening of national measures and international cooperation; to establish and maintain effective means at nuclear installations to protect individuals, society, and the environment from the harmful effects of ionizing radiation; to prevent accidents with radiological consequences and mitigate their aftermath in the event they take place.
Belarus ratified the Convention on Nuclear Safety in 1998. Parties to the Convention prepare and review national reports for the convention once every three years.
