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29.08.2008

On the issue of nuclear power plant building in Belarus

In the National press-centre of Belarus during the “round table” the participation of the community in the making of the decision on nuclear power plant building has been discussed the day before as well as the informing level of population about radiation and environmental safety when building the plant.

In the National press-centre of Belarus during the “round table” the participation of the community in the making of the decision on nuclear power plant building has been discussed the day before as well as the informing level of population about radiation and environmental safety when building the plant.

As the academician of NAS of Belarus and the deputy of academician secretary of the Branch of applied-physics of the National Academy of Sciences Alexander Mihalevich pointed out, today in general we need to talk about environmental safety ensuring with the help of nuclear power engineering.

He grounded his point of view by the fact that in connection with limited reserves of hydrocarbon fuel: oil, gas and coal – and with global warming the world energetic will come to a new configuration that is renewable and atomic energy. And so far as renewable energy sources according to his words can not compete in economic indexes with the same atom, so for example EU countries proclaimed a doctrine to put sun, water and wind on commercial way by 2020.

He pointed out that around coal mines there is increased radiation environment observed but foreigners concerned themselves with the uranium output from the coal power plants dumps. In particular such a contract was signed by Canadians and Chinese last year who produce 0.28 kilo of uranium from 1 ton of coal dumps.

So taking into account the complicacy and urgency of energy subject the system of work with population must provide systematic and differentiated informing, the academician believes.

Apart from that as deputy head of the department on geology under the Ministry of natural resources and environmental protection of Belarus Vladimir Korkin said, the experts including IAEA didn’t reveal any prohibitive factors at any out of three potential construction sites for Belarusian nuclear power plant placement.

During the “round table” perspective energy projects were also dealt with that can be realized in Belarus in particular atomic thermal power plant construction – ATPP. In the 80s there were such agenda in the country: in 1983 the construction of Minsk ATPP with the capacity of 2 mln kilowatt began and the construction of the nuclear power plant with the capacity of 6 mln kilowatt was planned. But after the Chernobyl disaster the construction of Minsk ATPP was reshaped and on its place Minsk TPP has operated since 90s.

At present the talks about future ATPP have been resumed. According to A.Mihalevich there is a proposition from Nizhny Novgorod that worked out the design of a reactor with minor capacity of 300 megawatt, but it hasn’t been used yet for civil purposes. It is proposed to be used in Belarus.”But now we have a bit different task, though in perspective after 2020 in Belarus there may be built an ATPP according to the Nizhny Novgorod design”, - explained A.Mihalevich to the www.soyuz.by correspondent. He added also that one of the Moscow institutes is working out its own variant of ATPP so there will be alternatives.