The European Commission called on Belarus on Tuesday 3 July to prepare an action plan to ensure implementation of the recommendations made by the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group (ENSREG) on the comprehensive risk and safety assessment of the Astravyets nuclear power plant, following the adoption of the peer review report on the EU stress test of the installation.
The peer review, carried out in Belarus in mid-March by a team of 17 experts from EU and non-EU member states, was conducted in a “constructive working atmosphere” and in line with specifications for EU stress test, the Commission said in a press release.
The information provided by Belarus made it possible to produce a comprehensive technical evaluation in line with the scope of the EU stress test and ensured an equal treatment for Belarus with other non-EU countries which participated to this peer review process in the past, the Commission added.
The peer review report confirms the adequacy of nuclear safety features as established by the Belarusian national safety regulator at the time of the licence in 2014. It also identifies a number of safety features developed since then. In addition, it makes recommendations requiring thorough follow-up and continued implementation measures, the Commission said.
The Commission calls on the Belarusian authorities to draft an action plan, which will be independently assessed, to ensure timely implementation of all safety improvement measures and says it is willing to participate in the review of the implementation of the measures in the plan.
The Commission “considers nuclear safety cooperation a central topic in the EU’s partnership with Belarus”, it states in conclusion. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)