The Lithuanian Radiation Safety Centre has reported that no changes in radiation levels have been detected after the shutdown of the second nuclear reactor at the Astravyets nuclear power plant.
Belarus shut down the nuclear reactor at the Astravyets NPP on Wednesday evening, the 16th of July. Julius Žiliukas, head of the Expertise and Presence Monitoring Department of the Radiation Safety Centre, told LRT Radio that environmental monitoring is being carried out, and all stations are operating and radiation levels are being measured. The data shows that the radiation level has not changed, and air quality monitoring stations have also not detected any anomalies.
Žiliukas added that radiation has not entered the environment, or at least it has not reached the territory of Lithuania.
An alarm went off at the Astravyets NPP on Wednesday night, reporting changes in the cooling system in the part of the plant where work with radioactive materials is not carried out. The reactor will be disconnected from the grid.
The Astravyets NPP is located just 20 kilometers from the Lithuanian border and 50 kilometers from Vilnius,
and has been criticized for safety issues. Žiliukas pointed out that if there are problems and radiation enters the environment, then, depending on the wind direction, it could reach the Lithuanian border within an hour, and the capital – after three hours.
As Žiliukas informed, the Lithuanian authorities have not received official information from the Belarusian side about what happened at the NPP, and all that the authorities know is information from the media.
The second nuclear reactor at the Astravyets NPP was launched in 2023, while the first has been operating since 2020.
Read full article in English here: https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/2612077/belarus-shuts-down-nuclear-reactor-no-radiation-change-in-lithuania
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