Belarus, Rosatom to develop project to minimize environmental risks of pesticides

Sergei Maslyak and Andrey Nikipelov held talks in Moscow to discuss the development of a unified hazardous waste management system in Russia and cooperation prospects in designing and building radioactive waste disposal facilities in Belarus. The Belarusian delegation also learned about the experience of Rosatom in eliminating environmental damage.

The parties discussed in detail the development of a joint project to protect the environment from obsolete pesticides. The project implies the creation of a neutralization technology and a pilot plant that will be tested during the elimination of the Gorodok burial site. The project is to be implemented within the framework of the Belarus-Russia Union State.

The Belarusian minister of natural resources and environmental protection also suggested that Rosatom consider the possibility of cooperation with the Polesie State Radiation and Ecological Reserve. Sergei Maslyak outlined promising areas of cooperation: exchange of experience and best practices in monitoring environmental radioactivity and radioecological research in areas affected by the Chernobyl accident, the use of remote sensing and artificial intelligence to prevent and eliminate man-made emergencies.

The Belarusian delegation also visited the United Ecological, Technological and Research Center for Radioactive Waste Neutralization and Environmental Protection, which is one of the technological leaders in the field of radioactive waste management.