The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) plans to establish an association of nuclear energy regulators and organisations that provide scientific and technical support. A draft memorandum on this was approved at the 21st meeting of the CIS commission on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, which was held via video link yesterday. The meeting was chaired by the head of the commission, Belarus' Deputy Energy Minister Mikhail Mikhadyuk.
Regulation & Safety 28 October 2020
The board of the Ministry for Emergency Situations of Belarus has issued a permit for the power start-up of unit 1 of the country's first nuclear power plant, Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom announced today. Based on the resolution of the State Regulatory Authority of Belarus, the board agreed on 23 October to amend the licences of the Belorusian NPP and JSC ASE EC, allowing this work to begin, Rosatom said.
New Nuclear 26 October 2020
Unit 1 of the nuclear power plant under construction in Belarus has achieved first criticality, Russia's Rosatom announced today. The milestone was reached at 2.26am (local time) on 11 October. First criticality, also referred to as the minimum controlled power level, is reached when neutron flux is recorded in a reactor at a level sufficient to sustain a fission chain reaction. It is considered to be the final stage of the physical start-up procedure, and enables personnel to verify whether the physical characteristics of the reactor core comply with the design requirements.
New Nuclear 12 October 2020