The visit of the authorised European experts within the framework of the peer re-view of the Belarusian NPP stress-tests results is over

From March 12 to March 16, 2018, a team of authorized experts was working in Belarus within the scope of the peer review of the National Report of the Republic of Belarus on the stress tests of the Belarusian NPP. 17 experts from 15 countries, headed by Mark Foy, a representative of The Office for Nuclear Regulation of Great Britain, specified and discussed with the Belarusian and Russian specialists the information from the National Report, visited the construction site of the Belarusian NPP in Ostrovets, prepared a draft of the report on the peer review.

The visit of the European experts to Belarus is one of the stages of the review of the Belarusian NPP stress-tests results within the scope of the peer review which is conducted in compliance with the liabilities voluntarily taken by the Republic of Belarus and according to the procedure agreed by Belarus and European Commission (the details on the stress-tests and the peer review see in the announcement of the visit).

Head of Gosatomnadzor Olga Lugovskaya emphasised that Republic of Belarus remains a newcomer (embarking) in the context of development of the nuclear power programme. That is why the procedure of stress-tests is not only a reliable instrument of safety review and confirmation of safety of the NPP, but also a growing point in developing technical competence of all the involved stakeholders. The conclusions made as a result of the peer review will be of practical use for development and subsequent implementation of the activities on improving safety and capability of the Belarusian NPP to withstand extreme external weather conditions. Olga Lugovskaya thanked all the experts for the huge work done, taking into account that the amount of data and the limited timeframe for its analysis.

Head of the experts Mark Foy pointed out that the Belarusian party gave timely and detailed answers to the many questions (465) of the experts before the visit, with additional information attached, demonstrated openness and transparency in the work with the experts during the visit. This was a valuable exchange of experience and a well-organised event, including the visit to the construction site of the Belarusian NPP.

After the established procedure is completed, the final variant of the Peer Review Report will be made available to the public in July, 2018.

Additional information can be acquired from the head of the Sub-Division of Communication and Public Information Oleg Sobolev, tel. (8-017) 200-92-16.