Belarusian nuclear power plant hosts emergency response drill

The Nuclear and Radiation Safety Department of the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry (Gosatomnadzor) and the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Center have taken part in a plantwide emergency response drill at the Belarusian nuclear power plant, BelTA has learned.

Gosatomnadzor provides regulatory oversight over emergency response events in the area of nuclear and radiation safety. Some Gosatomnadzor personnel were at the site of the Belarusian nuclear power plant in order to monitor the observance of established requirements directly. Participants of the drill practiced responding to disruptions of power supply to units of the nuclear power plant and other scenarios. They also practiced communication with crisis centers of the Energy Ministry and the state enterprise Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant.

Gosatomnadzor regularly organizes exercises and drills to practice responding to nuclear and radiation accidents. Their results are used to further improve work in this field, Gosatomnadzor representatives stressed.

For the sake of responding to emergencies in nuclear energy industry crisis centers have been created as part of the Belarusian nuclear power plant, the Energy Ministry, the Emergencies Ministry, the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Ministry, the Healthcare Ministry, the Internal Affairs Ministry, and the State Security Committee. An R&D center has been created as part of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus as well.

The purpose of Gosatomnadzor's information and analysis center is to provide information and analytical support, software and hardware support for regulatory oversight in the area of nuclear and radiation safety.