IAEA chief heads to Belarus for high-level talks

ISTANBUL

The head of the UN's nuclear energy watchdog is heading to Belarus on Tuesday for high-level talks in the capital Minsk and a visit to the country's sole nuclear power plant.

A statement by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) did not disclose the names of the Belarusian officials that Director General Rafael Grossi is scheduled to hold talks with, though it said he would also head to the Ostrovets Nuclear Power Plant, located about 21 kilometers (13 miles) from the country's border with Lithuania and about 135 kilometers northwest of Minsk.

The statement further added that Grossi and his team of experts would assess the situation at the site, almost four years since the plant was commissioned in June 2021.

The agency chief and his team will also assess the plant’s progress in “addressing the findings of an IAEA operational safety review in 2021.”

The review, which was published in November 2021, said the plant’s operator “demonstrated a continued commitment to safety” since the plant's first unit was connected to the Belarusian power grid.

“The team encouraged the operator to continue implementation of its operational safety improvement initiatives, ahead of the planned commercial operation of the second unit,” it added.

It also called on the plant’s operator to continue improving its integrated management system, enhance its programs on fire prevention and protection, and improve “oversight and control of the labeling, safe storage and use of chemicals.”