Ministry of energy of the republic of belarus

Question 15: COMPARISON OF IMPACT OF THE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT AND THERMAL POWER PLANT HAS BEEN CARRIED OUT NOT IN A PROPER WAY. THE POSSIBILITY OF ENERGY-SAVING, INCREASE OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY HAS NOT BEEN CONSIDERED.
Comparison of the equipotent Nuclear Power Plants and thermal power plants has been carried out incorrectly and cannot serve as the proof of a preferable choice of the Nuclear Power Plant without consideration of all spectrum of alternative variants, such as the measures specified by the State policy on increase of energy efficiency and energy-saving.
RESPONSE: The authors of «Critical Remarks …» assert that the necessity of introduction of generating capacities for the country is absent. It is not so.

At present the total established capacity of the energy sources of the Republic is enough for complete self-sufficiency of the Republic with the electric power, however in many cases operation of the out-of-date equipment becomes unprofitable as compared with import of electric power from the neighbouring countries since the cost price of production is higher than the cost of the imported electric power.

The general characteristic for the majority of nuclear power plants of the power supply system is increased and constantly being increased physical depreciation and obsolescence of the basic and auxiliary equipment, communications of energy transportation. Deterioration of the basic energy-producing equipment of electric and thermal networks amounts to about 60 % which testifies of the necessity of essential modernization of the basic equipment of the power supply system.

Belarus relates to the regions with sharp deficiency of fuel and energy resources. The Republic is compelled to import more than 85 % of the consumed fuel and energy resources. Practically all power resources are being imported from one country - Russia. The share of natural gas in domestic electropower branch has reached the level of 95-96 %. Thus it is necessary to consider the fact that the prices for the imported gas from Russia can increase in the nearest future. Increase of the prices for imported natural gas and electric power, duty introduction on crude oil duties can negatively affect the economic development of the Republic of Belarus.

Use of the fuel resources being extracted in the territory of the Republic (oil, accosiated gas, fuel peat, firewood and others ) represent only 16,8 % of the total consumption.

All this produces essential impact on the level of power safety of the Republic of Belarus.

According to the «Concept of Energy Security of the Republic of Belarus» confirmed by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus increase of energy security of the country is being provided for by complex solution of a number of tasks, including:
- Decrease of the level of use of natural gas as the energy resource (first of all in electrical power engineering and heat power engineering);

- Putting into operation of the generating capacities based on fuel sources alternative to gas, including heat power plants based on coal, the nuclear power plants, as well as water power plants;

- Diversification of the import of energy carriers by directions, methods and routes of deliveries.

Among two sources (coal, atomic energy) on the basis of which basis advancing growth of production of electric power in Russia is being provided for, for Belarus the variant of introduction of the Nuclear Power Plant in power supply system is economically more favourable.

Construction of the new nuclear power plants based on nuclear fuel and coal should become the basic component of increase of power security of functioning of generating sources, including:
- The Nuclear Power Plant with capacity of approximately 2000 МW;

- A number of heat power plants based on coal with the general capacity of 800  900 МW.

For the purpose of regulation of load of a power supply system of the Nuclear Power Plant putting into operation of powerful highly manoeuvrable sources is required.

Along with putting into operation of the new capacities in a power supply system small heat poweer plants will receive further development at the industrial enterprises, in small towns and regional centres which will essentially increase reliability and profitability of their power supply.

All the decisions ataken within the framework of the Concept of Energy Security of the Republic of Belarus have been developed with regard to implementation of the policy of energy-saving and energy efficiency.

Heat power plants differ with consumption of primary power resources on characteristics of which the conditions and the form of influence of the Nuclear Power Plant on environment depend greatly.

Such kinds of primary energy sources as organic fuel, nuclear fuel, water power, solar energy, wind power, energy of inflow, waves, geothermal energy are essentially different in the ecological aspect. Table 7 contains the information only for evident ­ representation about their relative ecological compatibility­.
Question 16: EIA IGNORES PRESENCE OF RED BOOK KINDS OF SALMON FISHES LIVING IN IMMEDIATE PROXIMITY FROM THE PROSPECTIVE SITE OF THE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
The Nuclear Power Plant is supposed to be constructed namely in those places where rare species of fishes come for spawning. At the same time in the Statement of EIA there is no special Section devoted to fauna, the fact of presence of Red Book fishes has been mentioned only once in one section, neither influence of emissions of the Nuclear Power Plant on salmon fishes, nor the measures directed at prevention of destruction of salmons have been considered.

RESPONSE: As a part of the working papers of EIA section 10 « Characteristic of Environment and Assessment of the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant Impact on Environment, Landscapes, Flora, Fauna» has been developed.

The independent component of this Section is Subsection 10.3 "Fauna». It has been prepared by the Scientifical and Practical Centre on Bioresources of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.

In the specified Subsection the estimation of influence of construction and operation of the Nuclear Power Plant on fauna, including fish fauna of the region in radius of 30 km from the construction site is represented. The kinds of fishes being under protection have been separately characterised.

It is specified that Viliya River with inflows is important waterway for preservation of variety of fish fauna of the country. Seven kinds of fish under protection and one kind of fish-shaped leve here. The list of kinds of fish under protection contains Atlantic salmon, bulltrout, trout, common barbel, European grayling, common vimba, common sneep; the list of fish-shaped contains a lampern. Atlantic salmon and bulltrout relate to migratory kinds of fish. Their living in Belarus is possible only in the pool of Viliya River. Since the given river is a unique waterway in the country which has open (not partitioned by dams) outlet to the sea, in this case, to the Baltic Sea.

A series of maps on which the ways of migration, spawning and fattening of salmon fishes have been noted, as well as the parts of the rivers where there are basic places of living of other kinds of fish being under protection.

The expected scenarios of possible changes of populations of rare species of fish in case of construction and operation of the Nuclear Power Plant are represented. Adverse situations of strengthening of press of fishers in case of growth of pollution of Viliya River with inflows at a stage of construction of the Nuclear Power Plant have been considered, as well as strengthening of press of fishers along with water level decrease in the river at a stage of functioning of the Nuclear Power Plant. In both cases probable reduction of a number and distribution area of «Red Book» kinds of fish has been predicted.

Adverse influence on the kinds of fish being under protection in case of design accidents at the Nuclear Power Plant with emission of radioactive substances is not expected.

For prevention of negative influences on the kinds of fish under protection the following measures and actions have been offered:

- Organization of educational work among the population;

- Ensuring maintaining of a water level in Viliya River and its inflows at a level of annual average supervision (by months). At that the critical (least) water level in Viliya River during the spring period should amount to at laest 150 cm over mark «0» of hydrometeorological post of Mikhalishki. Within a year Viliya River should have the following dynamics of filling: 55 % of a flow during the spring period, 37 % of a flow during the summer-autumn period and 18 % during the winter period. It will ensure favourable conditions for spawning of fish and fattening of their fry.

- Around water intake it is necessary to provide for special fish-protecting structures preventing  destruction of fish and its fry;

- For minimization of a damage from potential cumulative effect from local sources of pollution to provide for measures and actions for prevention of municipal, industrial and agricultural discharges and maintaining of natural chemism of water in a reservoir of Viliya River;

- Creation of water nursery on artificial reproduction of bulltrout and salmon, as well as other kinds of marketable fish. This will allow not only to compensate a damage from adverse factors of influence on the fish population and to preserve fish resources of the given region, but will give the right to receive quotas on catch of salmon kinds of fish (bulltrout, salmon) in the Baltic Sea;

- Ensuring of the conditions of calling of the manufacturers of salmon kinds of fish (salmon, bulltrout, trout) at the spawning rivers (liquidation of beaver colonies and their dams in the given waterways;

- Ensuring of regular monitoring of the state of population of rare endangered kinds of fish;

- Organization of field supervision of execution of the requirements on designing, planning and implementation of the above-mentioned requirements;

- Organization of additional hydrochemical monitoring of Viliya River and its inflows.

Question 17: EIA DOES NOT TOUCH THE THEME OF INFLUENCE OF POSSIBLE CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION OF THE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT ON THE HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE AND THE CULTURAL LANDSCAPE. EIA DID NOT MENTION ALSO POSSIBLE INFLUENCE OF CONSTRUCTION AND EXPLOITATION OF THE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT ON THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE.
RESPONSE: The list of the historical and cultural values of the Ostrovetsky region of the Grodnenskaya oblast is represented in Table P.44.
Table P.44 - Historical and Cultural Values of the Ostrovetsky Region

Name of the values	Date of origin	Location of the values	Digital designation
Struve Geodesic Arc: «Konrady» Station	ХIХ century	Ostrovetsky region, 2,8 km to the North-West from Kandraty village	1
Site of Mesolithic period	7-6 thousand BC	д.Акартели, 0,5 км на юго-восток от деревни	2
Kostel of Holy Cross Ascention	Year 1760	Village of Bystritsa	3
Barrow burial ground of the period of the early Middle Ages	End of the 1-st thousand years BC	Village of Budrany, 0,7 km to the South-West from the village	4
Architectural complex of the centre of village of Vornyany	Year 1770, ХVIII-XIX century	Village of Vornyany	5
Kostel of St. George	Middle of XVIII century	Village of Vorona	6
Ancient settlement	XI-XIII century	Village of Gury,2 km to the East from the village	7
Ancient settlement	XI-XIII century	Village of Ignatovo (Ignatsovo), 1,5 km to the West from the village	8
Ancient settlement	XI-XIII century	Village of Kotonyaty(Korenyaty), 1,8 km to the North-West from the village	9
Barrow burial ground	1-2 thousand AD.	Village of Katsenovichi, 1,5 km to the North-West from the village	10
Kostel	Year 1900	Village of Kemelishki	11
Barrow burial ground	End of the 1-st thousand years AD	Village of Malye Sviryanki, 1,1 km to the North-East from the village	12
Barrow burial ground	End of the 1-st thousand years AD	Village of Motski (Matski), 1,5 km to the North from the village	13
Kostel of St. Michael	XVII century	Village of Mikhalishki	14
Ancient settlement	XI-XIII century	Village of Nidzyany, 1 km to the South-East from the village	15
Barrow burial ground	End of 1-st thousand years AD	Village of Podkostyelok, 0,5 km to the South-East from the village	16
Trinity Church of Old Believers	XVIII-XIX century	Podol’sky Village Soviet, Tract of Strypishki
Barrow burial ground	Second half of the 1-st thouisand years AD	Village of Polushki, 0,6 km to the South-East from the village
Barrow	1-st thousand years AD.	Village of Perevozniki, 1 km to the West from the village	17
Barrow burial ground	Second half of the 1-st thouisand years AD	Village of Pil’viny, 1,3 km to the South from the village	18
Barrow burial ground	1-st thousand years AD	Village of Savishki, 1,2 km to the South from the village	19
Ancient settlement	XI-XIII century	Village of Soroch’e, 0,5 km to the West from the village	20
Barrow of the period of Iron Age	V-VI century	Village of Andreyevtsy, on the right bank of Viliya River	21
Barrow	IV-VII century	Village of Vygolenenty, 1,5 km to the East from the village	22
Ancient settlement of the pertod of Iron Age	1 thousand years BC - V century AD	Village of Garony, 1,5 km to the North-West from the village
Holy Trinity Kostel	Year 1612	Village of Zhodishki	23
Former country estate	XVII century	Village of Zhodishki	24
Watermill	Year 1871	Village of Zhodishki	25
Site of the Mesolithic period	7-6 thousand years BC	Village of Zaozyortsy, between the centre of the village and the North-East bank of Ryzhee Lake	26

The Drawing represents the scheme of the Ostrovetsky region with the monuments marked on it.

Fig. P.22, P.23 – Схема Островецкого района с нанесенными на нее

Памятниками

In the Drawing the scheme of 5 km zones round the Nuclear Power Plant site is presented. From the drawing it is well seen that the planned motorway passes approximately at a distance of 3 km from «the Architectural complex of the centre of village of Vornyany» and «Barrow burial ground» of the village of Katsenovichi. At the same distance from the given cultural monuments the railway will also pass.

Let us notice also that situated in immediate proximity from the road Polotsk - Vilnius St. Michael's Kostel, village of Mikhalishki, and St. George Kostel, village of Vorona, have been constructed in XVII and XVIII centuries, accordingly. At that time there were no highways since there were no motor transport, there was no such goods traffic as there was no such developed industry. Thus, moving of cargoes by automobile and railway transport in the course of construction and operation of the Nuclear Power Plant will not directly affect the state of cultural values of the region. Besides, this stage ofconstruction of the Nuclear Power Plant to which all goods traffic relates, is short enough.

It is necessary to notice that the Nuclear Power Plants are the largest tax payers in the regions of their location. Putting into operation of the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant will provide for additional possibilities of the region for keeping the cultural values in a proper order.

The thesis of the authors of «Critical Remarks.» about distortion of a landscape and destruction of many kinds on cultural values and monuments can be reduced to an absurdity and can prohibit any construction in any place since any new object will deform a landscape and to destroy the view on cultural values and monuments.