"Construction of Belarusian NPP Ought to Be Stopped", Experts Say

Did the Belarusian authorities know nothing about an accident at the construction site of the Astravets NPP?

Can the society affect the transparency of the process? Is it possible to stop the construction at this stage? Responsible physicist, Doctor of Science, a former deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Yury Varonezhtsau answers questions of Radio Svaboda.

- Don't you think that during the incident at the construction site of the NPP Belarusian official bodies behaved rather odd? They stated that they had known nothing, and they sent requests to the Russian contractor for explanations. Do you believe in this version?

- The situation is really strange. This is a hazardous facility with the respective technology. Therefore, the authorities must know all the details. Why do we need them if they know nothing?

- Official structures anyway are present at different stages of putting the different parts of the object into service; they take over the work of the contractor. Do you believe that they could not know anything?

- No, I do not believe it. As you said, there is a certain plan of action for every object. Such control is carried out daily. I do not believe that representatives of the Belarusian official structures did not know what had happened there.

But the worst thing is that we do not know what is going on there. Is it true that the reactor vessel fell down or was it only hit? This is a deja vu to me; it looks like I use the time machine to go back to the times of investigation of the Chernobyl tragedy. It used to be the disaster, however, which occurred in the totalitarian state - the Soviet Union, but now Belarus is declared a democratic state.

- What the society can do? Are there any instructions and regulations that could let the society to monitor the construction?

- Unfortunately, most of our people have forgotten that they are citizens, they have rights which are needed to fight for. Any citizen has the right to full information about what is happening in the country. It is ensured by the Constitution. State bodies and officials must provide an opportunity to get information that affects citizens' rights and legitimate interests. In this case, our rights and interests are very much affected by the construction of NPP, so every citizen has the right to this information. It does not require any special laws, the Constitution is the main law.

- The Belarusian society at the time was divided into two parts. The first part told that the NPP was actually needed, but the Russian project smelled fishy, others told that the NPP was not needed at all. What is your position?

- Of course, I am against any NPP. This is nonsense to build the NPP in the country where the margin of generative possibilities is one and a half times higher than the actual consumption. When our public commission made its conclusion 6 years ago, we wrote that this energy would not be claimed by anyone. No one listened to us then, but now even the government has recognized it. That is, the construction of the NPP is a purely political decision, even the head of the country said so.

As for the Russian project, it convinces me and my supporters that this station is not needed in Belarus. The reactor with zero referentiality has been enforced upon us. This reactor ВВЭР-1200 ( "water-to-water electricity production reactor 1200") did not work for a minute. Moreover, it is built up by a Volgodonsk company (Volgodonsk branch of OAO "AEM-technology" "ATOMMASH"), which did not build nuclear reactors for the last 30 years. Our reactor is the first. What kind of security can you see here? If 10 reactors work for 5 years without incidents, then we can talk about some sort of relative safety.

- But now, when more than half of the work is done, is it fair to demand to stop the construction of the NPP?

- There are examples when it was done. In the USSR it happened several times after the Chernobyl tragedy. Russia has recently abandoned the Kaliningrad project, as soon as the construction started. There are examples in the United States and Europe. I think everything is all right. On the contrary, it would be wise to stop this construction from the perspective of our safety and the state of the economy. And it will be a monument to the adventurous decision.

- The Russian contractor says there is nothing to worry about. The paint just rubbed away. They claim that the IAEA Commission works on the site. It sounds interesting. On the one hand, they are interested in building of the NPP, on the other, this is a responsible international structure that ensures safety. Can the IAEA guarantee quality and safe construction of the NPP?

- Any control by an international organization is for good. But I personally do not trust the IAEA, as the bees like honey, and this structure will exist as long as there is a nuclear power. I think that some kind of limits will still be delivered. But there is no guarantee of security control, no one is able to do that.

- The situation is that it would be politically advantageous to the contractor and the Belarusian authorities to grant admittance for journalists, so that they could see and convince the public that nothing terrible has happened. But it does not happen. Почему? Is this some kind of behavior reflex - not to let journalists in?

- Yes, it is something irrational. Well, it would be better to make the information about the construction process open. Who does it not happen? You have had deals with present bureaucrats. What should I say?

- Lithuania has recently been the one who is against the NPP. Now when the information about accidents is available, will the support of more countries be possible?

- Yes, you are right. Unfortunately, Europe has paid near-zero attention to this construction. I think they should be more aware of the construction of such a dangerous object. Especially when almost all the European countries now abandon the nuclear power, no one except the Finns build new NPPs. I think that certain activity on their part is expected.