Belarus Admitted EIA Non-Fulfilment of Projected NPP

05.04.2011 09:54
Архив Редакция

Monday, April 4, Ambassador of Belarus to Lithuania Vladimir Drazhin said that Belarus admitted that the international process of evaluating the environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the projected nuclear power plant in Belarus had not yet been fulfiled. Such a statement was made by the Belarusian diplomat during a meeting with Deputy Foreign Minister of Lithuania Evaldas Ignatavicius in Vilnius.

As reported by the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry, Belarusian Ambassador informed the Lithuanian side that Belarus was currently preparing detailed responses to questions, submitted by Lithuania before.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania said that the Belarusian side should include in the report a full and reasoned response to all questions, particularly relevant for Lithuanian experts and the public.» Evaldas Ignatavicius stressed that Lithuania would  persist in strict international control of NPP construction.

As Telegraf previously reported, Lithuania demanded from the Belarusian authorities to respect all the provisions of the Espoo Convention, the IAEA and other international legal acts in the sphere of nuclear energy and environmental protection.

Minister of Energy of Lithuania Arvydas Sekmokas has declared that the Belarusian authorities «violate international standards on nuclear safety» and has stressed that Lithuania is trying to get «real, not simulated assessment of environmental impact» to conform to international standards and conventions from the Belarusian and Russian authorities.

Meanwhile, April 4, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of Belarus said that Belarus had given exhaustive answers to all questions of Lithuania on the assessment report of environmental impacts of Astravets NPP, being under construction. The Ministry of Natural Resources has noted that «the procedure to assess the environmental impact of the projected NPP on the territory of Belarus» is in strict compiance with the requirements of the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context. «Report on the assessment of the environmental impact of the Belarusian nuclear power plant has been prepared in strict accordance with international requirements,» said in a statement of the Belarusian side.

Как вам новость?