Lithuania warns Belarus against operating nuclear plant with unsolved safety issues

November 11, BPN. Lithuania’s state regulator for nuclear energy (VATESI) has once again urged Belarus to stop operating its nuclear power plant (NPP) until all safety issues are resolved.

In a letter to the Belarusian Ministry for Emergency Management dated October 31, it insisted that Belarus clarify the reasons for the abnormal events and provide updates on the current status of Unit 1.

“We have not received any information on safety improvement measures implemented during the planned maintenance of Unit 1 at the Belarusian NPP and the construction and commissioning of Unit 2,” VATESI head Michail Demčenko stressed.

Lithuanian nuclear regulator noted that it had not received from Belarus information on site selection, the NPP equipment’s resistance to seismic events, and compliance with stress test recommendations.

It forwarded the letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the European Commission, the President of the Meeting of the Parties to the Convention on Nuclear Safety, the Chairs of the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group (ENSREG) and the Western European Nuclear Safety Regulators Association (WENRA).

On November 9, Unit 1 of the Belarusian NPP was reconnected to the grid after repairs which started on April 25 and lasted over six months, instead of the planned 80 days.

The Belarusian NPP is located near Astraviec, Hrodna region, some 10 miles away from the Lithuanian border. It has been built with a Russian loan. Lithuania views the plant as unsafe and describes it as a “geopolitical weapon.”