Students at constructing Belarus’ NPP
A ‘labor semester’ has come to its end for certain groups of students from Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan. 18 students’ teams from Belarus, 5 from Russia and 1 from Kazakhstan were united in the joint international team in the town of Astravets (Hrodna region).
The students participated in the works at the construction site, in the adjusting shop, in the construction of the laboratory complex, they were engaged in road and surveying works and in installing metal structures and heat power equipment.
In the course of the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant in Astravets there have been some incidents that raise questions about its safety.
On 8 April 2016, there was a collapse of the structural frame of the would-be nuclear service building at Astravets NPP, of which Belsat.eu was informed in early May.
At first, the authorities denied our report saying that there had not been any incidents at the construction site. State-run mass media remained silent as well. After the publication Lithuania summoned Belarus’ ambassador and handed him a diplomatic note demanding explanation over the incident.
As reported in July, during installation the enclosure of the future reactor fell from the height of 2 – 4 meters at the construction site of the Belarusian NPP in Astravets.
The Belarusian NPP in Astravets is being constructed by Russia’s nuclear corporation Rosatom.
The NPP first power-generating unit is scheduled for commissioning in 2018, the second one – in 2020. The construction of two nuclear reactors is provided in the agreement reached by Belarus and Russia, the reactors being supplied by Atomstroyexport, Russia. The project faced opposition at home and abroad on both safety and political grounds.
Lithuania is the main critic of the idea of the Belarusian nuclear power plant, which is only 20 km from the border and 50 km from Vilnius. Minsk rejects Lithuania’s claims, arguing that nuclear power plants will have high safety standards. Vilnius asked Brussels for involvement of the European Union in the matter.
Phot. sb.by
