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MINSK, 14 September (BelTA) – The Belarusian nuclear power plant (BelNPP) will be stress-tested in December 2016, Belarusian Deputy Energy Minister Mikhail Mikhadyuk told reporters after the second round of the Belarusian-Lithuanian consultations on the BelNPP, BelTA has learned.

“We fulfill our voluntarily assumed commitments to stress-test the plant. We have signed a contract with the Russian organization that will conduct the tests. The contract stipulates that the BelNPP will undergo the tests in December. The Russian side is considering involving foreign experts,” Mikhail Mikhadyuk said.

The results of the stress tests will be submitted to a regulatory body that will prepare a national report. The report will be subsequently sent to the European Commission.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant will be stress-tested by Atomproekt Research and Design Construction Institute of Power Technologies. The stress tests will focus on the Belarusian nuclear power plant’s resilience to earthquakes, floods, extreme weather, and other kinds of external impacts.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant is a project to build a VVER-1200 type nuclear power plant 18km away from Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast. The BelNPP will have two power-generating units with the total output capacity of up to 2,400MW (2x1,200MW).