Belarusian officials warn that the construction of the country's first nuclear power station could be in jeopardy after chalk deposits have been discovered on the construction site, informed Priorbank JSC in its business news, citing Alexey Shcheglov, the head of the Byelorussian Industry and Nuclear Supervision Agency. "The site for the future nuclear station has chalk deposits, and there are doubts if the soil would sustain the weight of the reactor," said Shcheglov.  Specialists testing the site in the Mogilev region were concerned that the soil loading rate of seven tons per square meter was too high due to the existence of chalk deposits 60 meters below the sites.  

According to Kommersant, unofficial sources said the new plant construction will begin next year. Belarus is now in talks with a French company that is ready to build the plant in 2008 through 2018, but the French candidate insists on establishing an independent agency to control the construction that would be accountable to the president. The French also want a legal framework compatible with European standards to regulate the construction, Shcheglov told the news source.

This information was originally published July 12, 2007(www.priorbank.by, www.kommersant.com).

-- 16.07.2007