Taking into account the "changed geopolitical situation", the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Lithuania has prepared the Concept of Strengthening Civil Defense, which takes into account the risks of a nuclear (radiological) disaster at the Belarusian NPP, according to the website of the department.

The document, reported in the press release of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, envisages directions for the development of civil defense until 2030 and should become a benchmark for better interaction of civil defense bodies and services and strengthening the ability to act in crisis, emergency situations and conditions of war, to be properly prepared for warning the population and its evacuation, and will also help to take care of the education of residents in matters of civil defense.

According to the Minister of Internal Affairs

Agne Bilatajte,

the need for the emergence of the concept is due to the fact that the sphere of civil defense has been "in a neglected state" for many years:

"The lack of a unified and clear strategy, low funding, lack of leadership at the state level revealed systemic deficiencies in this area."

The document envisages as equivalent priorities the modernization of the system of notification of residents, education, training and education, preparation for a nuclear (radiological) disaster at the Belarusian NPP, development of evacuation forces, employees to ensure readiness, installation of safe workplaces in operative headquarters, improvement of functions of municipal civil defense, development of a storage network.

So, in particular, this year the government has allocated EUR 17.75 million for activities related to the threats emanating from the "dangerous nuclear power plant in Belarus".


According to the information of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, it is necessary to allocate 91.5 million euros for a five-year period to prepare for a possible accident at the Bel NPP.

In order to develop the concept, the country's government has approved a plan to prepare for a possible radiological or nuclear accident at the Belarusian station.

"If we want a breakthrough, we have to invest heavily in civil security in the next eight years.

The preliminary need for funds to implement the priorities indicated in the concept during this period is about 200 million euros," the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Lithuania emphasized.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant is being built near Astravets (Hrodna Region) mainly at the expense of a Russian loan for the Russian VVER-1200 project.

The general designer and general contractor is the ASE engineering company, which is the head organization of the Rosatom engineering division.

The first unit of the Bel NPP began to generate electricity in the mode of experimental and industrial operation on November 3, 2020, it was put into commercial operation on June 10, 2021.

On December 22, 2021, nuclear fuel was loaded into the reactor of the second energy block, which began the stage of its physical start-up.

Commercial use of the blyok was planned to begin before this summer, but it did not happen.

The repair of the power plant began on April 25.

Minister of Energy Viktar Karankevich stated that this process will take about 80 days, but in fact 119 days have passed.

The energy department announced the completion of the repairs on August 22, at the same time it was stated that "the regulatory pre-commissioning operations are being carried out at the facility, followed by the power generation of the reactor plant and the inclusion of the reactor in the network."

At the same time, Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko, at a meeting with the general director of the Russian state corporation "Rosat" Aleksey Likhachov on August 30 in Minsk, said that the "last days of scheduled and preventive maintenance of the first power unit" of the Bel NPP are underway.

What you should know about BelAES

  • Since 2011, the Belarusian nuclear power plant has been built near Ostravets, in the Horaden region, 22 km from the border with Lithuania, 50 km from Vilnius and 125 km from Minsk.

  • The launch dates were postponed several times.

    Initially, the launch was planned for 2018, Lukashenka later stated that Russia missed the deadline.

    Finally, the NPP launch ceremony took place on November 7, 2020.

  • The NPP-2006 project was selected for construction — a typical Russian project of a new generation nuclear power plant using a water-water power reactor VVER-1200.

    According to the same project, the units of the Novavoronesk NPP and the Leningrad NPP-2 operating in Russia were built.

  • Bel NPP is being built by the Russian state company "Rosatom" at the expense of a loan from Russia.

    Belarus borrowed up to 10 billion dollars to finance 90% of the cost of construction of two nuclear power plants.

    Repayment of the loan begins 6 months after the date of commissioning of the nuclear power plant, but no later than April 1, 2021.

    Belarus asks Russia to extend the loan for 10 years.

  • The station will have two power plants with VVER-1200 (B-491) reactors with a capacity of up to 1200 MW each.

    That is, the design capacity of the nuclear power plant is 2.4 thousand MW.

    When the nuclear power plant operates at full capacity, the station will provide 18 billion kilowatt-hours per year - half of what Belarus currently consumes.

  • Lithuania has repeatedly questioned the selection of the Ostrovets site for the construction of the NPP.

    The country named 10 reasons not to build the Bel NPP, accused the Belarusian authorities of concealing information about the plant.

    Lithuania protests against Bel NPP at the highest state level, expresses protests in international structures.

    The president of Estonia supports Lithuania.

  • The Astravetskaya NPP site was recognized as dangerous as early as 1993.

    Then 7 suitable sites, 15 moderately suitable and 6 unsuitable ones were found.

    The Ostrovetsk site was among the last.

  • The authorities and officials of Belarus are slow to respond to reports of incidents during the construction of their own nuclear power plant.

    Usually, incidents at the Bel NPP are officially reported after information about them appears in the media - yes, the fall of the reactor body was reported only after international pressure.

    In the end, the hull that fell was replaced (the Russians are going to use it at another nuclear power plant).

    The new one accidentally hit a pole, but no damage was found, so they decided not to change the case a second time.

  • Belarus produces enough electricity for its own needs without a nuclear power plant, Lithuania and Estonia can be supported by Latvia (although it is not going to impose an embargo), Poland is going to build its own nuclear power plant, as well as Finland.

  • Spent nuclear fuel from Bel NPP will remain in Belarus.

    Environmentalists claim that Belarus chooses the most expensive and dangerous way to store spent fuel from nuclear power plants.