Belarus Opposition, Experts Discuss Plans for Nuclear Plant

Text of report in English by Belarusian privately-owned news agency Belapan

Minsk, 24 April. The construction of a nuclear power plant in Belarus was discussed by opposition politicians and experts at a debate hosted by the United Civic Party’s office in Minsk on 24 April.

Yury Varonezhtsaw, a scientist and civil society activist, said that the construction of a nuclear power plant in Belarus would increase people’s exposure to radiation. He sounded an alarm over the decommissioning of nuclear plants, saying that not a single nuclear station had been dismantled fully in the world yet. “That’s why claims about cheap electricity generated by nuclear plants are a myth. On the contrary, they are the most expensive if one takes into account the cost of their decommissioning,” Varonezhtsaw said.

The construction of a nuclear power plant in Belarus will make the country even more dependent on Russia as the facility will most likely rely on Russian equipment and materials, he warned. The project will require a costly upgrade of the nation’s power grid and discourage companies from applying energy-saving technologies, Varonezhtsaw noted.

Viktar Karnyayenka, an associate of former presidential candidate Alyaksandr Milinkevich, noted that the government would have to spend much money on providing accommodation for the station’s personnel and developing local infrastructure. He suggested that the government drop the plans and develop energy-saving technologies and consider building a unit at Ukraine’s Rivne nuclear power plant instead. “But Belarus must be a reliable and predictable partner for Ukraine for this project to be fulfilled,” he said.

Karnyayenka said that the issue of the construction of a nuclear power plant may be raised only in a democratic country. Anatol Lyabedzka, leader of the United Civic Party who moderated the debate, promised that opposition parliamentary candidates would raise the issue in their campaign speeches.

Originally published by Belapan news agency, Minsk, in English 1545 24 Apr 08.

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