Lithuania continues to raise issues with Belarus regarding the safety and environmental impact of the nuclear power plant
February 3 At a bilateral meeting held after a five-year hiatus, Lithuanian representatives repeatedly asked for the knowledge of Belarusian experts, which they had not received for many years.
Lithuanian institutions responsible for environmental protection and nuclear safety continues to consistently raise questions about Belarusian nuclear power plants (BAE) safety and potential adverse effects on the environment and the population.
“Belarus had to provide comprehensive answers to all our questions in the process of transboundary environmental impact assessment – both the good neighborliness approach and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Espoo Convention) or other international agreements are required.
However, despite the fact that new information was provided, unfortunately not all questions have been answered today, ”lamented Vitalijus Auglys, Head of the Pollution Prevention Policy Group of the Lithuanian Ministry of Environment.
He emphasized that in order to assess the possible negative impact of the BAE on the Lithuanian environment and population, detailed answers were needed, therefore the Lithuanian authorities (Ministry of Environment, Environmental Protection Agency, Lithuanian Geological Survey, State Atomic Energy Safety Inspectorate) continued their request.
The Belarusian authorities have promised to provide some of the information in writing, but some important questions have not been answered.
The Ministry of the Environment recalls that during the meeting of the parties to the Espoo Convention in 2019, and 2020 Belarus has been confirmed to have violated the provisions of the Espoo Convention and is implementing the BAEija project in Astrava.
Lithuania constantly raises questions about the selection and assessment of the BAE site, possible adverse effects on the Lithuanian environment and population, normal operating conditions and in the event of an accident, storage and disposal of radioactive waste and spent fuel, possible adverse effects on the Neris River, radiological monitoring, seismological surveys and other nuclear safety and environmental features.