International Conference On Nuclear Technology In Minsk

An international conference "Nuclear Technology in the 21st Century: Criteria of Existence and Solutions", organised, in particular, by several Russian and Belarussian scientific institutions and the Belenergo corporation, has started in Minsk. According to the Belenergo president Yevgeny Mishuk, it is the fate of Belarus to have a nuclear power station owing to shortage of its own energy resources. At the same time, he specified that there can be no discussion of constructing a power plant for at least the next decade. Mishuk thinks that totally different technologies are needed - the most advanced and reliable, such technologies are due to be discussed at the conference. Apart from supporters of nuclear energy, there are a large group of Belarussian scientists and politicians who believe that construction of a nuclear power station is unacceptable following the disaster at Chernobyl, which affected 70% of the country's territory. In their opinion, the major task is to improve the existing ways of producing energy and to develop non-traditional energy sources.