Lukashenka signed the law on the ratification of the agreement with Russia on the transport of nuclear materials

MINSK, May 18 – RIA Novosti. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko signed a law on the approval of an agreement with Russia in the field of transport of nuclear materials, the corresponding document was published on the National Legal Internet on Wednesday.portal republics.

The agreement was previously ratified by the Belarusian parliament. Thus, the republic completed the internal procedures necessary for the ratification of the treaty.

The agreement will regulate the issues of bilateral cooperation in the field of transport of fuel batches, irradiated fuel batches of nuclear reactors and radioactive waste. The document will make it possible to establish requirements agreed by the parties for the import, transport, escort and physical protection of fuel batches, irradiated fuel batches of nuclear reactors and radioactive waste.

The agreement also lays down the procedure for transfer of duties to ensure the escort and protection of transport with access of authorized persons to the fuel assemblies, irradiated fuel assemblies of nuclear reactors and radioactive waste. It also explains the relationship of the parties in the event of a nuclear incident and an accident during the transport of fuel batches, irradiated fuel batches of nuclear reactors and radioactive waste. The agreement will only apply to nuclear materials produced during the life cycle of the Belarusian nuclear power plant.

Competent authorities for the implementation of the agreement are determined by Belarus – the Belarusian Ministry of Energy, by Russia – by the atomic energy state agency “Rosatom”.

Belarusian NPP is the largest Russian-Belarusian economic project. A plant with two VVER-1200 reactors with a total capacity of 2400 MW is being built in Ostrovets (Grodno region). On June 10, 2021, the Belarusian Ministry of Energy reported that the acceptance committee signed an acceptance document for the commissioning of the start-up complex of the first unit of BelNPP. The second power unit of the Belarusian NPP will be commissioned in 2022. In December 2021, fresh nuclear fuel was loaded into the reactor core as part of the program launch to physically start the unit.