Adopted at the BNP Conference 26.01.2019
Resolution of the Belarusian National Platform of the EaP CSF on the construction of the Ostrovets nuclear power plant
Taking account of the following information, presented to the public and the affected countries in 2017-2019:
— in 2017, the Meetings of the Parties to the Aarhus and Espoo Conventions noted that the implementation of the Ostrovets NPP project proceeds in violation of the provisions of both conventions;
— in July 2018, the European Union and the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group emphasised, based on the results of the Peer Review Report of the EU Stress Test of the Ostrovets NPP, that the NPP had many security issues and demonstrated that NPP-2006 project used for its construction, is not compliant to the IAEA and WENRA modern nuclear security standards;
— at a public hearing in January 2019, the contractors of the Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Spent Fuel (SF) Handling Strategy at the Belarusian NPP has demonstrated an absolute ill-preparedness of Belarus to launching the NPP due to unresolved underlying issues with spent fuel handling, while the new fuel irradiation in the first nuclear unit is planned for this year;
We call upon the Government of Belarus and Gosatomnadzor, the national regulatory authority in the field of nuclear security, to do their best to bring the Ostrovets NPP project in compliance with the international obligations of Belarus and contemporary IAEA and WENRA standards, requiring the operating organisation and the contractor to ensure the implementation of all recommendations of the WENRA regulators group, among other things. Otherwise, as well as in the absence of convincing and proven safe solutions for the spent fuel handling, the first nuclear unit of the Ostrovets NPP cannot be launched.
We call for a delayed launch of the plant until the main issues mentioned above are resolved.
We urge the European Union to influence Belarus to fulfill its international obligations and bring its transboundary NPP project affecting countries of Western Europe in line with international security norms and standards.
