Energy Ministry Comments on the Incident on the Belarusian NPP

Bureaucrats call a collapse of a strut of a future nuclear service building "a defect of pre-construction activities".

The Energy Ministry of Belarus informs that during the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant (NPP) in Astravets there has been a fractional damage of struts of a formwork at one service area, not "a strut of a future nuclear service building."

The Ministry notes that information of some independent media about collapse means the case occurred on April 8 - there was a fractional damage of struts of a formwork at one service area when pouring concrete, tut.by reports.

"This case is considered as defect while pre-construction activities, all the consequences were removed in accordance with current regulations and technology. The defect was removed, the filler block is prepared for concreting and handed over to the commission in accordance with the technical requirements," the ministry says.

In that regard the Ministry stressed that "there were no damages and demolitions of constructions accepted by the customer on facilities of the Belarusian nuclear power plant during the entire construction period."

It also notes that a constant construction control is performed to provide a high quality of construction and installation works, as well as the state control on the part of regulatory authorities - State Construction Supervision and Inspection Service, Federal Agency on Technical Regulating and Metrology, Federal Inspectorate for Nuclear and Radiation Safety.

It should be reminded that On May 5 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania called the ambassador of Belarus and asked him about a possible incident on Astravets NPP located 50 km far from Vilnius. The reason was information of Belsat TV channel. It was reported that an employee of the NPP had informed about the collapse of a concrete construction "in the area between two reactors" in the mid-April. Representatives of the NPP called it nonsense".

"It's an absolute nonsense! I do not know where you have taken these photos from, they can prove nothing. There is no nuclear service building between two reactors. There are some buildings which refer to power unit No. 1, as well as to power unit No. 2. It is informed that something collapsed in the mid-April, but we were there together with journalists on April 19, met Yukiya Amano (the Director General of the IAEA). Everything was ok," Edward Svirid, head of the public relations department of Belarusian NPP, stated.

Linas Linkevičius, head of the Foreign Ministry of Lithuania, says in reply: "Such rumors or even, perhaps, events show that the issue requires involvement of international institutes, words of Belarusians are not trustworthy," the minister noted.

The Foreign Ministry of Lithuania also urges Belarus to fulfill requirements of IAEA for nuclear safety as soon as possible.

Lithuania has recently raised concern about Astravets NPP. Yukiya Amano, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, visited Belarus in April. In his words, IAEA plans seven additional expert missions to Belarus before putting into operation of the Belarusian NPP.