Belarusian NPP continues to operate with disruptions, safety problems remain unresolved
In the letter of 22 of January, 2025 addressed to the Belarusian Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES), which acts in Belarus as nuclear safety regulator, the Lithuanian State Nuclear Power Safety Inspectorate (VATESI) once again calls to suspend operation of Unit 1 and 2 of Belarusian NPP until all safety issues are resolved.
"Both units of Belarusian NPPs are currently shut down – it was announced that Unit 1 is undergoing scheduled maintenance repairs, but there is a very little information on the reasons for the shutdown of Unit 2. The Belarusian NPP is being operated with intermittent and unreported disturbances, and the safety problems at the plant continue to go unaddressed. We expect to receive not only formal declarations from our neighboring regulator, but also detailed information on practical efforts to ensure the safety of the Belarusian NPP in line with the highest international safety standards”, says Michail Demčenko, Head of VATESI.
VATESI has been observing from the very beginning of the Belarusian NPP project that all efforts were made to start up the NPP as soon as possible, but not to supervise the quality of the works and ensure safety. The irresponsible approach to safety is now increasingly evident in the unscheduled shutdowns of the Belarusian NPP units and the prolonged timing of repairs. Belarus does not share information on the reasons for the erratic operation of the Belarusian NPP, unscheduled unit shutdowns, prolonged repairs.
VATESI in the letter to the MES reminded still the lack of specific information of the nuclear power plant site selection and evaluation, NPP equipment resistance to seismic events and to the effects of a large civil aircraft crash, implementation of stress tests recommendations, probabilistic safety assessment, fire hazard analysis, analysis of developed countries' regulatory experience and safety improvements according to its results, review of the safety analysis report and other safety issues. VATESI also requests clarification of the information published in the public domain concerning the contamination of the Unit 2 reactor cooling loop with organic substances, the contamination of the Unit 1 secondary circulation loop with radionuclides, the deficiencies in the fixing of the reactor vessel as well as the detected defects and outstanding work.
Belarus is requested to provide information of authorized discharge limits from the power plant units. VATESI also calls on the MES and other responsible Belarusian authorities to publish all international expert missions’ recommendations and their implementation results and provide additional information, which is necessary for more accurate forecasting of releases during possible accidents.
This letter copies also sent to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), European Commission, Chairs of the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group (ENSREG) and Western European Nuclear Safety Regulators Association (WENRA).