OSTROVETS DISTRICT, 8 October (BelTA) - Level of preparation of the infrastructure of the future Belarusian nuclear power plant (NPP) meets the highest international standards, Deputy Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Alexander Bychkov said when visiting the NPP construction site in Ostrovets District, Grodno Oblast, on 6 October.
Alexander Bychkov praised the intensive and high-quality work on the Ostrovets site. “Preparation of all external systems is impressing. There are good roads, including the railway. Construction of the town is underway and this is also very important because the builders should live and work in good conditions. Everything, as it seems to me, is at the level of the world’s best standards,” the IAEA official said.
IAEA expert Donald Kovacic stressed that since the middle of this summer, when he visited the site the last time, the work has considerably advanced. “Today we visited Ostrovets, the information center, and the building site, and, as far as I can see, the level of organization is very high. At least with regard to the preparation of the site for the construction of the nuclear power plant, it seems to me that the level of local authorities, the local industry is quite sufficient to implement these works,” he said.
Deputy Energy of Minister of Belarus Mikhail Mikhadyuk explained that at present, work is in progress on the two major sites: “All works are on schedule, we conduct monthly operational meetings to consider the entire range of issues. Funding is provided in the necessary volume.” Currently, works are conducted by only the Belarusian organizations, the Ministry of Architecture and Construction and the Energy Ministry, he said.
IAEA representatives visited Ostrovets District to get familiar with the ongoing construction of the nuclear power plant, new residential areas in Ostrovets and paid a visit to the information center of the future NPP. Partaking in the visit were representatives of the Energy and Foreign Ministries, the Directorate of the Nuclear Power Plant Construction (customer), the united company NIAEP-Atomstroyexport (the general designer of the power plant and the general contractor), Belarusian subcontractors, and the Grodno Oblast administration.
Deputy Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Alexander Bychkov was in Belarus on a visit on 4-7 October. The official met with Vice Premier of Belarus Anatoly Tozik, top executives of the Energy Ministry. Alexander Bychkov delivered a lecture at Belarusian State University and called a press conference. The visit focused on the results of the mission the IAEA sent to Belarus on 16-30 June 2012 to assess the nuclear power engineering infrastructure.
Key cooperation areas for Belarus and the IAEA are development of nuclear energy infrastructure for the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant, strengthening of the nuclear and radiation security, the preparedness and response system in case of nuclear and radiological emergency, application of nuclear technologies in medicine, recovery of the territories affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. The main forms of cooperation are IAEA expert missions in Belarus, organization of national and regional seminars and trainings in Belarus with the participation of IAEA experts, participation of Belarusian experts in conferences, seminars and training courses of the agency. One of the top priorities in cooperation with the IAEA is the implementation of the nuclear security action plan which envisages IAEA missions to assess the national nuclear energy infrastructure in the country. The mission was on a visit in Belarus in June 2012.
|
