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29 Jan 2019

Belarus-Russia agreement on BelNPP spent fuel to be signed by 2020

Belarus-Russia agreement on BelNPP spent fuel to be signed by 2020

MINSK, 29 January (BelTA) – An intergovernmental agreement with Russia on handling spent nuclear fuel of the Belarusian nuclear power plant (BelNPP) is to be signed by 2020. This information is provided in the Q&A section of the ecological report on the strategic ecological evaluation of the Belarusian nuclear power plant’s spent nuclear fuel management strategy, BelTA has learned.

“The intergovernmental agreement will be developed following the adoption of the Belarusian nuclear power plant’s spent nuclear fuel management strategy.  The document is to be drafted and signed not later than 2020,” the report reads.

In line with the intergovernmental agreement on the construction of the nuclear power plant in Belarus as of 2011, spent nuclear fuel is to be processed in the territory of Russia. The document provides that the nuclear fuel purchased from Russian companies to be used at the BelNPP nuclear reactors is to be returned to Russia for processing under the conditions specified by the parties in a separate intergovernmental agreement.
 
The specifications of VVER reactors manufactured to a Russian design allow using nuclear fuel from non-Russian suppliers. Information taken from official open sources suggests that nuclear fuel assemblies made by Westinghouse (RWFA) are used at VVER-1000 reactors in Ukraine (South Ukraine Nuclear Power Station). Westinghouse is also introducing a modified RFWA design for the Temelin nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic. This nuclear power plant was built to a Russian design.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant is being built near Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast using a Russian design featuring two VVER-1200 reactors with the total output capacity of 2,400MW. The first power-generating unit is scheduled for commissioning in 2019, with the second one to go online in 2020.

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