Belarus, Atomstroyexport to ink contract soon

Belarus plans to sign the contract on building the nuclear power plant with the Russian company Atomstroyexport soon, Director of the Nuclear Power Engineering Department of the Belarusian Energy Ministry Nikolai Grusha told a press conference on 17 December.

The draft contract between direct participants of the nuclear power plant construction in Belarus is being developed. The participants are the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant Construction Directorate and the Russian company Atomstroyexport. The document is supposed to be signed soon, said Nikolai Grusha.

He also said that a Belarusian-Russian intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in building the Belarusian nuclear power plant is about to be completed. It is expected to be signed soon, too. The general contract for building the nuclear power plant will be the next step. It is supposed to be signed in H1 2010.

BelTA reported earlier that a Belarusian-Russian intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear energy was inked in Minsk on 28 May 2009. It is a framework document outlining major avenues of cooperation in the development, design, construction and operation of the nuclear power plant, provision of nuclear and radiation security as well as scientific cooperation, personnel training and other areas. Signing an intergovernmental agreement on building the nuclear power plant should be the next step. Belarus and Russia adjusted the interim version of the agreement at the beginning of August.