Belarus’ Energy Ministry Rejects Reports Claiming NPP Employees Were Exposed to Radiation

 / Go to the mediabankConstruction of a nuclear power plant in Astravets, Grodno Region, Belarus / Go to the mediabankMINSK (Sputnik) – The Belarusian Energy Ministry said on Wednesday that media reports about alleged exposure to radiation of employees of the Belarusian nuclear power plant (BelNPP) are fake. Earlier in the day, the Euroradio broadcaster (recognized as extremist in Belarus and is blocked in the republic and Russia) reported that the NPP’s employees were allegedly exposed to radiation in April 2022. Allegedly, this became known as a result of a leaked letter with the appropriate subject from the system of appeals to state bodies of Belarus. According to the report, the incident allegedly coincided with the official announcement of the planned maintenance at the station. “The information about the irradiation of personnel at the BelNPP is fake,” the ministry press office said in a statement, adding that “the multi-level automatic protection systems in place at the plant ensure the safe operation of personnel and eliminate the possibility of radiation exposure in the controlled access area above the norms.” The ministry said reports that appeared in some telegram channels do not correspond to reality. The ministry added that all works under the planned maintenance and partial reloading of fresh nuclear fuel at the first power unit of the plant were carried out in strict compliance with the requirements established by the supervisory authorities and international norms. The BelNPP is the largest joint economic enterprise of Russia and Belarus. The plant will feature two power units equipped with Russian-designed VVER-1200 reactors with a total capacity of up to 2,400 megawatts. The plant is being built in the Belarusian city of Astravyets in the northwestern region of Grodno, 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius. The first power unit was put into service on June 10, 2021. The ministry’s website says the second unit is 97% ready, and is expected to be put into maintenance in the first quarter of 2023. Since the end of April 2022, the plant’s first unit has been under scheduled maintenance. On November 9, the unit was reconnected to the country’s power grid after maintenance and additional testing.

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