5/13/97: CHAMBER OF REPRESENTATIVES APPROVES
LAW ON RADIATION PROTECTION The Draft Law on Radiation Protection of the Public
provides regulations for protecting the public and the environment from
the harmful effects of radiation related to radioactive waste management,
the use of ionizing radiation sources, and the aftermath of radiation-related
accidents. In April 1997, the Belarusian Parliament created
the Draft Law on Uses of Nuclear Energy and Radiation Safety. This
draft law stipulates the following: that the safety of nuclear installations,
radiation sources, radioactive substances, and radiation source handling
be guaranteed; that sufficient financial compensation for nuclear damage
be guaranteed (these provisions closely follow the Vienna Convention on
Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage); and that Belarus's international responsibilities
in the field of nuclear law be met. This last requirement states
that international agreements will take precedence over national legislation.
The Belarusian Chamber of Representatives is expected to conduct the first
reading of this law during the first quarter of 1998. Both the bill On Radiation Protection of the Public and the
bill On Uses of
Nuclear Energy and Radiation Protection take into account international
agreements that Belarus has signed or plans to sign.
["Belarus," Nuclear Law Bulletin,
no. 60, December 1997, pp. 75-77.] {updated 8/26/98 djw}
9/95: NUCLEAR ACCIDENT EARLY WARNING SYSTEM
DEVELOPED The Executive Committee on Hydrometerology in coordination
with the Security Council has begun work on an early warning system for
accidents at nuclear power stations located near the Belarusian border.
By Lake Drisvyaty, within 30km of the Lithuanian Ignalina NPP, there will
be 7 stationary automated monitoring points to measure radiation levels
on land along with 1 stationary automated monitoring point in the water.
The information gathered by these 8 detection systems will go to a mobile
lab in Braslav, which will prepare spectral analyses of contamination.
This information will be relayed by radio to Vitebsk, and from there it
will be sent by wire to Minsk. The Rodoc system in Minsk, funded by the
EC, will analyze the data and allow the Belarusian government to decide
on any necessary actions. The first tests of the system are expected in December
1995. The system across from Ignalina is expected to be on-line by April 1996.
Monitoring systems at the Belarusian borders by Smolensk (Russia), Rovno
(Ukraine), and Chornobyl are anticipated to be in place by 2005. Ukraine
is expected to cooperate in the development of an interstate system which
will be capable of monitoring all accidents on Belarusian and Ukrainian
territory. According to Ivan Skuratovich, the Deputy Chairman of the hydrometeorologic
committee at the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the system across from
Ignalina will consist of nine stationary posts with equipment to be provided
by the European Union.
Sources: [1] CISNP Discussions with Belarusian official,
October 1995. [2] "Radiation Early Warning System
to Be Set Up Near Border With Lithuania," BBC Monitoring Service, 18 October 1995. [3] Minsk Radio, 18 September 1995, in FBIS-SOV-95-181,
Daily Report, 18 September 1995.
5-6/95:MONITORING SYSTEM CONTRACT AWARDED A 3.5 million ECU contract within the framework of
the TACIS program was signed by the German firm Hormann Systemtechnik to
develop the "Gamma-1" system in Ukraine and Belarus. This system will monitor
the Rivne and Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plants (NPPs) in Ukraine and the
Ignalina NPP in Lithuania. The system will have 47 units to monitor gamma
radiation, one unit to monitor concentrations of alpha and beta aerosols,
and two units to monitor gamma activity in the water. In addition, there
will be 5 mobile stations, 3 local stations, and 2 national monitoring
centers.
[Nucnet News, No. 46, 1995; in Byulleten Tsentra Obshchestvennoy Informatsii po Atomnoy Energii, May-June 1995,
p. 61.]
4/20/95: DRAFT AGREEMENT ON NEW CIS ATOMIC ENERGY
CENTER Officials of the CIS member states announced a draft
agreement prepared in Minsk on the establishment of an Interstate Center
for the Use of Atomic Energy, Nuclear and Radiation Safety and Mutual Aid
in the Liquidation of Consequences of Radioactive Contamination. The Center
will help conduct interstate technological policy in the field of atomic
energy. It will also work to raise the safety standards in the atomic industry,
insure readiness to liquidate radiation accidents, and insure safeguards
for the population and environment of all the parties to the Center.
Sources: [1] "Further on Establishing Single
CIS Nuclear Energy Center," Belapan, 21 April 1995. [2] "Experts meet to set CIS Atomic
Energy Center," Belapan, 20 April 1995.
4/23/93: BELARUS, UKRAINE SIGN AGREEMENT
ON NUCLEAR COOPERATION The Belarus State Committee for Nuclear and Industrial
Supervision (Gospromatomnadzor) and the Ukrainian State Committee for Nuclear
and Radiation Safety (UkrSCNRS) signed a three-year Agreement on Cooperation
in which the two states decided to work together on projects to improve
and monitor safety in the nuclear sphere, to exchange information regularly
as well as in the case of accidents, and to coordinate policy in the area
of nuclear safety.
[From Russian-language text of the
agreement, 23 April 1993.]
1993: BELARUS NUCLEAR TRAINING CENTER ESTABLISHED Belarus established a "Scientific Training and Information
Center on Problems of Radiation Safety, Power Engineering, and Ecological
Education." The goal of the center is to educate the public about nuclear
power and increase its public support.
[Valentin Gerasimov and Alexander Mikhalevich, article based
on a presentation given at the Uranium Institute, Uranium Issues, November 1993.]
1993: TACIS TO FUND NUCLEAR MONITORING
SYSTEM TACIS funds are going to create an early warning
system which would detect any nuclear accident and warn the authorities
and the local populations in Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia.
[G. Niehus, D. Larsimont, and H. Slotboom;
"Tacis: Activities In Belarus," TACIS Information Office, February 1994, pp. 1-23.]
Chornobyl Issues:
3/20/96: CLEANUP SYSTEM FOR RADIOACTIVELY
CONTAMINATED AREAS The Belarusian Institute of Power Engineering Problems
is working on a project with TACIS to develop a boiler to be used at the
Svetlogorsk Pulp Cardboard Plant to deal with fallout from the 1986 Chornobyl
disaster. The boiler will have off-gas treatment and ash management treatment
systems. The IPEP also has two projects with U.S. labratories to deal with
ash management and a co-generating power plant that will be fueld by contaminated
wood. Among various other projects associated with the cleanup and management
from Chornobyl fallout, much energy is being given to turf cutting and
bulldozing projects to clean the layer of contaminated soil in the affected
forest (3670 square kilometers, ed. note) and urban territories in Belarus.
[CISNP Discussions with Belarusian Official, 3/20/96.]
12/3/93: BELARUSIAN PARLIAMENT APPEALS
TO UKRAINE ON CHORNOBYL SHUTDOWN The Belarusian Parliament voted to ask Ukraine to
reinstate its decision, which was reversed in October 1993, to shutdown
Chernobyl. Belarus currently spends 20 percent of its budget on Chernobyl-related
problems.
[Ukrainian Weekly, 19 December 1993; in
"Greens Say Move To Repeal Order Closing Chernobyl 'Immoral'," RFE/RL Daily
Report.]
10/93: BELARUSIAN GREENS OPPOSE CHORNOBYL RESTART In an address to the Ukrainian president and parliament,
the Belarusian Party of Greens expressed the concern of the Belarusian
population, and especially of citizens living in the Gomel region, about
the decision to restart Chernobyl. The party stated that, in its opinion,
continuing the operation of Chernobyl would be immoral.
[Igor Grishan, Sovetskaya Belarusiya,
2 October 1993, p. 1; in JPRS-TND-93-025, 25 October 19/93, p. 39.]
