Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 24
By Huseyn Veliyev - Trend:
The construction of a research reactor in Azerbaijan will take a long time, the Institute of Radiation Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan told Trend.
Further, even a political solution to this issue hasn't been achieved yet, said the institute.
"According to the IAEA's demand, Azerbaijan, like any other country, will first need to justify the need to build a research reactor. Then it will be necessary to prepare a feasibility study of the project, to study the country's capabilities to create the appropriate infrastructure, to give a political assessment and only after that to begin work on the construction of the reactor. And this work can last for many years," said the institute.
In addition, the countries wishing to acquire their own research reactor, which gives them the status of a nuclear country, are exposed to strict demands, the institute noted. These include accession to certain conventions, the availability of appropriate infrastructure for the control of nuclear materials, human resources, etc.
It was reported previously that the IAEA intends to continue cooperation with Azerbaijan on this issue in 2019-2021 in a new format. Cooperation with IAEA includes the preparation of technical documents and increase of human resources in this area. The development of documents, as well as the work carried out in this area, must comply with the standards and requirements of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Some 16 employees working for National Nuclear Research Centre CJSC under Azerbaijan's Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies have have already completed the long-term training organized by the IAEA and three of them are fully ready for work.
In addition, three high-level specialists are working at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna (Russia) and they are fully ready to lead the work after the construction of the research reactor in Azerbaijan begins.
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