On October 20 at a closed meeting the House of Representatives passed a bill on the ratification of Belarusian-Russian agreement on cooperation in construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant.
Deputy Energy Minister Mikhail Makhadyuk, who presented the project to deputies, told journalists about it after the ratification.
Adoption of this document behind closed doors, the press service of the lower house has explained by the fact, that the issues it addresses are associated with the interests of national security.
The text of the agreement is available on the Russian MFA's website. The document stipulates cooperation "in the design, construction and putting into operation the power units of the nuclear power plant in Belarus". Both sides pledge "to take necessary measures for putting into operation the first power unit of the NPP in 2017, the second - in 2018."
In order to implement the measures provided by the agreement, the Russian side undertakes to provide Belarus with a state loan. Its size and conditions to be determined by separate intergovernmental agreement, the document says.
It also specifies, that the Russian side ensures the supply and the Belarusian side the purchase "for the entire period of power units operating in the NPP and the nuclear fuel in the form of ready fuel assemblies manufactured in the Russian Federation in the amount necessary for initial load and all subsequent overloads of the power units".
The fuel spent in the power units of the NPP, bought from Russian companies, "to be returned to Russia for processing under the conditions determined by the parties in a separate agreement".
The resulting nuclear materials, equipment, special non-nuclear materials and related technologies Belarus undertakes "not to use for producing nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices or for achieving any other military purpose".
