Students recruited to work at nuclear power plant

Proper staff is one of the key problems of the Astravets nuclear power plant, which is under construction now.

Belarus has few nuclear power specialists, but the work to be done is no joke. Gosatomnadzor (the Emergency Ministry's Department for Nuclear and Radiation Safety), the main supervisory body that controls the construction and operation of the Astravets NPP, has increased its staff almost twofold, Komsomolskaya Pravda v Belarus writes.

“The staff hasn't been doubled yet. We still have vacancies. You can read about them on our website. We are not afraid of hiring young specialists,” Gosatomnadzor's head Volha Luhauskaya said, adding that 11 students were recently employed. “They are students of relevant universities that will receive their graduation diplomas in some years. They are young specialists from Belarusian State University, Belarusian National Technical University, Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics and International Sakharov Environmental University.”

After the graduation, the students will study how to work at the Astravets NPP. It is planned that they will work as NPP operators.

Gosatomnadzor also hires foreign specialists, though there is a problem. Being a government body, Gosatomnadzor can employ only citizens of Belarus. So, foreigners need to obtain Belarusian citizenship if they want to work at the NPP.

It's not an obstacle for some people. One foreign specialist was already employed.

“Our organisation was interested in an Armenian citizen. He will work for us soon,” Volha Luhauskaya said. “Like our students, he will be an operator, but he has more experience. Like others employed by the state, he must pass a special exam.”

The Armenian had worked at the NPP in his home country, but took a brave step to join the staff of Gosatomnadzor to work at the first Belarusian nuclear plant, which is being constructed according to the schedule.