Experts from the European Nuclear Safety Regulatory Group (ENSREG) are visiting the Belarus NPP from 31 August to 2 September as part of the second phase of the peer review of the national action plan following the plant's stress tests. The team includes 15 experts from Austria, Germany, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Lithuania, Greece and Finland. The group will be headed by Petteri Tiippana, Director General of the Centre for Nuclear and Radiation Safety of Finland (STUK)," the press service said.
Experts will assess the progress in the implementation of the national action plan, taking into account the recommendations issued by ENSREG in 2018, and will analyse progress in the implementation of the planned activities by Belarus. The experts will work in three thematic areas of stress tests: "external natural influences", "loss of power supply and ultimate heat sink" and "severe accident management".
The first phase of the ENSREG partner review took place in the first quarter of 2021. During a visit to plant site in February, European experts visited all the plant objects of interest to them: the reactor shop of the second power unit, the control centre of the first power unit, the building of the reserve diesel power plant, the fire department, the emergency control centre, a full-scale training simulator centre and looked over relevant materials. ENSREG Chairwoman Marta Zhiakova, noted the progress made by Belarus considering the recommendations of ENSREG on the priority issues of the National Action Plan following the results of earlier stress tests.
Belarus NPP, located in Ostravets, Grodny region, will consist of two Russian supplied VVER-1200 power units. The plant was issued a permit for pilot industrial operation of unit 1 in December and it was connected to the grid earlier in March. Unit 2 is 85% complete and is expected to begin commercial operation in 2022.
Photo: Belarus NPP (Photo; Rosatom)
