Projects
Government Bodies
Flag Friday, 29 March 2024
All news
All news
Society
15 August 2019, 16:35

International expedition busy measuring initial background around Belarusian nuclear power plant

MINSK, 15 August (BelTA) – An international ecological expedition to measure the initial background in the area around the construction site of the Belarusian nuclear power plant in Ostrovets District, Grodno Oblast started working on 15 August, BelTA learned from representatives of the Energy Ministry.

The expedition includes representatives of the international organization Green Cross, the ecological safety agency Alpha X91, the research and enlightenment organization Energy and Ecology, and other public organizations and specialized organizations.

The expedition has been arranged upon the initiative of the state enterprise Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant taking into account the experience of similar events held by the Russian nuclear power plant operator Rosenergoatom Concern and the association of territories hosting nuclear power plants. The latter takes care of economic and infrastructural development of territories around nuclear power plants as well as ecological safety matters.

The expedition's experts are expected to produce an independent evaluation of initial environmental conditions in the area of the Belarusian nuclear power plant. Gamma radiation has been measured. Samples of air, water, soil, sediments, and vegetation have been collected. The activity of radionuclides in the samples will be determined. A report will be compiled as a result of the work, the Energy Ministry explained.

The field stage of the expedition will last till 20 August. Information about the state of ecological, radiation, and nuclear safety in the area around the Belarusian nuclear power plant will be made public. Conclusions and proposals of ecologists will be made available to the general public. Apart from that, results of the expedition will be added to the report to be released as part of the post-project analysis program, which is now being developed in line with Belarus' commitments within the framework of the Espoo Convention. The report will also be made available to the general public and forwarded to neighboring countries.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant is being built near Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast using a Russian design featuring two VVER-1200 reactors with the total output capacity of 2,400MW. The first power-generating unit is scheduled for commissioning in late 2019, with the second one to go online in 2020.

Subscribe to us
Twitter
Recent news from Belarus