Belarus plans nuclear burial site 50 km from Ukraine's border
Belarus is considering the possibility of creating a site for the temporary storage and disposal of radioactive waste from the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant in the village of Novoselki. The potential facility could be located about 50 kilometres from the border with the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions of Ukraine.
Project details
This is the infrastructure for the management of spent materials generated during the operation of the BelNPP. According to preliminary plans, the future complex will include:
temporary storage of radioactive waste;
their further processing or preparation for disposal;
creation of specialised security vaults.
The official explanations of the Belarusian side are limited to the need for a full cycle of nuclear power maintenance within the country.
Possible risks for the region
The proximity of the potential facility to the Ukrainian border is of concern in view of the following:
environmental safety of border areas;
risks of accidents or leaks of radioactive materials;
Lack of transparent international environmental impact assessment.
Experts emphasise that such facilities usually require extensive international monitoring and coordination with neighbouring states.
Context.
The Belarusian NPP, built with Russia's participation, remains one of Minsk's key energy projects. At the same time, the issue of radioactive waste management is critical to the long-term security of the Eastern European region, especially given its proximity to the borders of Ukraine and the EU.
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