Energy ministry denies reports of staff exposure to radiation at nuclear plant

December 29, BPN. Reports by some Telegram channels about staff exposure to radiation at the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) are not true, the Belarusian Ministry of Energy said.

Multilevel automatic protection systems operating at the plant ensure safe working conditions for the staff, preventing exposure to radiation, it added.

Repairs and partial reloading of nuclear fuel at Unit 1 were carried out in “strict compliance with the requirements established by the supervisory authorities and international standards,” the ministry stressed.

On December 28, Euroradio reported that NPP staff had been exposed to radiation in April, citing internal communications between April 17 and 29.

The NPP’s Unit 2 is currently undergoing start-up operations and is scheduled to start commercial operation in the first quarter of 2023. 

The nuclear plant is located near Astraviec, Hrodna region, some 10 miles away from the Lithuanian border. Designed by Russia’s Rosatom, it has also been built with a Russian loan. Lithuania views the plant as unsafe and describes it as a “geopolitical weapon.”