MEPs voice serious concerns over the safety of the Ostrovets nuclear plant in Belarus and demand that its commercial launch be suspended, European Parliament official website reported.
In a resolution adopted with 642 votes to 29, with 21 abstentions, Parliament criticises the Ostrovets nuclear plant citing the lack of transparency and official communication regarding the emergency shutdowns of the reactor and equipment failure.
The plant started to generate electricity on 3 November 2020 without fully implementing recommendations made in the 2018 EU peer review and by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), MEPs say, expressing their discontent with the rush to start commercial operation of the plant in March 2021.
They call on the Commission to work closely with the Belarusian authorities to delay launching the plant until all EU stress test recommendations are fully implemented and all the necessary safety improvements are in place.
