A team of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) nuclear and security experts is currently on a visit to the Belarus to undertake the inspection of the security protocol taken by the Belarusian government to protect its nuclear power plant. After preliminary walkthrough, the IAEA’s team leader Mr. Joseph Sandoval told the media that the Belarusian authorities have attached great importance to the safety and reliability of the Belarusian nuclear power plant. He further said that the inspector’s role is to compare and evaluate the practices applied in Belarus against the existing international agreements and then provide with their recommendations. The IAEA mission, consisting of experts from five nations including US, Britain, France, Russia, and Switzerland is carrying out an inspection of physical protection of nuclear facilities (IPPAS) of the Belarusian nuclear power plant. Belarus had been purchasing electricity from Russia since its independence from the former Soviet Union. However, after an energy dispute with Russia in 2007, it planned to construct its own nuclear power plant in the country. Belarus concluded an agreement for construction of a two unit VVER-1200 third generation reactor with a Russian firm Atomstroy export during 2012. The first unit of the reactor was completed on 10 Jun 2021 and Belarusian government accepted the plant after necessary legislation. The second unit of the reactor is planned to complete by the end of 2021. The construction of the nuclear power plant remained a point of conflict between various factions of the Belarusian society. A social and political movement Belarusian People’s Front was urging not to use Russian firms for construction of nuclear plants, because it will increase the Russian involvement in the country. A group of Belarusian Scientists were also opposing the construction of a nuclear power plant on technical and legal grounds. Unfortunately, during construction of the power plant an incident of a transformer explosion happened in November 2020, which caused more confusion about the plant sustainability and reliability. Due to reasons, Belarusian government opted to solidify its protection and security measures from world Nuclear watchdog IAEA. Although Sandoval nodded positively after inspection of the plant, however in the wake of Western opposition to Belarus-Russian nexus, the detailed report from Vienna may have a different theme from that of the first in Belarus.
