With the first two nuclear power plants under construction in Belarus, an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team of expert visited the country at the request of the government to assess its preparedness in the event of a nuclear, radiological emergency. The IAEA team completed the Emergency Preparedness Review Tuesday, the IAEA said, noting that there were strong response measures already in place, while some areas could stand for improvement.
Belarus could provide more complete guidance on the implementation of emergency response actions by all response organizations and provide more complete guidance on the implementation of emergency responses, the IAEA said.
On the positive side, the 10-day review team found "Belarus has solid arrangements in place," said Marina Nizamska, former Head of the Division of Emergency Preparedness and Response in the Bulgarian Nuclear Regulatory Agency, who led the eight-person review team, which included experts from Finland, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Slovakia and the United States.
Belarus is building its first nuclear power reactors, two 1 170 megawatt-electric units of the Russian VVER technology. The mission included a visit to the nuclear power plant (NPP) site at Ostrovets in northern Belarus.
The mission sited, as strengths, a solid management system for nuclear emergencies integrated into an all-hazards emergency management system, a comprehensive program for international cooperation on Emergency Preparedness and Responses (EPR), authorities experienced in addressing the long term non-radiological consequences of a nuclear emergency based on the 1986 Chernobyl accident and good training capabilities for nuclear emergency responders. Belarus was also sited as having solid capabilities concerning the availability for the treatment of contaminated or overexposed individuals and a commendable on-site emergency response center at the Ostravets NPP site.