The installation of the reactor vessel at the Belarusian NPP in Astravets has been suspended, Deputy Energy Minister Mikhail Mikhadzyuk said on Monday.
According to the official, the decision to put the installation process on hold was taken by the customer immediately after the emergency situation.
Speaking about steps the Belarusian authorities are about to take, Mikhadyuk said: “There are only two scenarios: the further usage of the vessel [that fell] on condition that the safety of materials will be confirmed, or its replacement. There are no other options. But now it is the turn of experts. We are primarily guided by the need to ensure the absolute safety of the nuclear power plant.”
At the moment, specialists from Belarus and Russia are studying the situation.
“The general contractor notes that the coloring of the reactor vessel has been damaged. I must say that there are also sling marks. But we demanded a more careful analysis of metal and the reactor vessel be carried out. Such examination has been conducted by the Russian side, its results have been handed over to us, but it takes time to clarify the situation and take a final decision,” the deputy minister said.
He assured that the public, including international experts, would be made aware of the investigation findings.
In late July, Belarusian activist Mikalai Ulasevich said on Facebook that during installation the enclosure of the future reactor had fallen from the height of 2 – 4 meters at the construction site of the Belarusian nuclear power plant in Astravets (Hrodna region). Although the incident presumably occurred on July 10, the Energy Ministry remained tight-lipped about it for a long time..
It is not the first incident that has happened at the Belarusian NPP in 2016. The structural frame of the would-be nuclear service collapsed in mid-April, belsat.eu reported in early May with reference to its own source. The nuclear service building is to be erected between the two reactors. Being eager to meet the deadline, the people in charge hurried the workers who poured too much concrete for its foundation. As a result, the structural frame broke down and its components collapsed. Then the Belarusian authorities also tried to stonewall the incident.
Interestingly, the official community of the would-be Belarusian NPP in Russia’s Vkontakte social network calls the reports about the fall of the reactor vessel a ‘smear campaign’:[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”262560″ img_size=”large”][vc_column_text]Photo: vk.com/bel.atom
belsat.eu, following belapan.by
