Belarus is proceeding with construction of its first nuclear power plant, despite opposition from nearby states who regard the plant as a threat to regional safety. The first reactor is scheduled to begin operating in December 2019.

The plant is located in Astravets, Belarus, less than 50km from the capital city of Lithuania. Approximately 950,000 Lithuanian citizens, almost half of their entire population, reside within a 100km radius of the Astravets nuclear plant.This follows a decision made by Belarusian officials to disregard International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recommendations that nuclear plants should not be built within 100km of major population centres. Such recommendations were made in the aftermath of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Lithuania has protested the nuclear plant since the plans for construction were introduced in 2008. Darius Degutis, a member of Lithuania’s envoy for issues related to the Belarusian plant, said that “…we are worried about the proximity, we are worried about huge violations of safety, about the potential impact on the environment [and] on our people.”

Officials are concerned about the safety of the nuclear plant. Typically, a full investigation by the IAEA includes six modules of examination, however, in accordance with Belarus’ wishes, only two modules were completed. These examinations are crucial to thoroughly assess all aspects of site safety and parameters for relevant external hazards.

In addition, the plant is at risk of seismic activity, given the region has experienced many earthquakes in the past few centuries. A 1993 report by the Belarusian Academy of Sciences cautioned that Astravets was an unsuitable location for a nuclear plant due to this seismic risk.

“Since 2013 we have asked Belarusian officials repeatedly to invite the IAEA to come for an inspection [but they] only agreed [to do it] in 2017 and they limited the inspection,” reported Degutis.

Adding to concerns is the secrecy surrounding a series of accidents that occurred during construction of the plant, resulting in the deaths of three workers. Belarusian Deputy Energy Minister Mikhail Mikhadzyuk said the three deaths were a “reasonable figure” considering the scale of the project. This attitude must be condemned, as three deaths at the workplace is three too many and every measure should be taken to prevent this.

Furthermore, the lack of care and responsibility could have harmful implications on the environment once completed. One only has to reflect on the 1986 nuclear disaster in nearby Chernobyl, Ukraine, to learn such lessons. In fact, Belarus experienced some significant effects of that disaster, with almost 15% of its territory contaminated by radioactive material. This has left some areas uninhabitable, and resulted in the contamination of rivers and lakes, and has harmed flora and fauna.

“I think that the technologies are not safe and a lack of safety resulted in the Chernobyl disaster,” said Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski. In response to the new Belarusian nuclear plant, Poland and Lithuania have passed laws to boycott Astravets energy. These laws ban the usage, trading, and exchange of electricity generated at Astravets. These actions should be applauded, as they discourage the creation of new nuclear sites, and in doing so help to prevent future potential harm to people and the environment.

Though Belarus may benefit from nuclear energy in the short-term, it is worthwhile to consider alternative energy solutions that do not have potentially life-threatening implications, and that do not compromise Eastern European regional peace and stability. Alternative actions, such as the use of renewable energy sources, do not carry the same risk as nuclear power and would benefit the region in the long-term future.