EU: Operating license for Belarusian nuclear power plant granted with safety violations

The European Commission expressed regret that Belarus had decided to start operating the Astravets nuclear power plant (BelNPP) “without fulfilling all the safety recommendations delineated in the 2018 EU stress test report”.

“While the decision on commercial licensing of the Astravets plant is the responsibility of national authorities, under the supervision of the national regulator, it is necessary to ensure maximum safety of the plant’s operation. This is even more imperative, given its proximity to the EU border and to Lithuania’s capital Vilnius,” said Kadri Simson, the European Commissioner for Energy.

The European Commission insists that Belarus deals with the nuclear safety of the Astravets nuclear power station in full transparency, including the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group (ENSREG) expert verification.