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Belarusian nuclear power plant expected to start generating electricity in autumn

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OSTROVETS DISTRICT, 7 August (BelTA) – The Belarusian nuclear power plant is expected to start generating electricity this autumn, BelTA learned from Belarusian Energy Minister Viktor Karankevich on 7 August.

The official said: “The loading of fuel into the nuclear reactor of the first unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant began today. It is one of the nuclear power plant construction stages. A total of 163 fuel rod arrays will be placed inside the reactor to fully load it. There are plans to generate the first few kilowatt-hours of electricity and transmit them to the power grid in autumn.”

In his words, the Belarusian power grid is ready to receive all the electricity the nuclear power plant will generate and deliver it to end consumers.

The energy minister pointed out that the commissioning of the nuclear power plant will enable conditions for a considerable enhancement of Belarus’ energy security. “It is a reliable, environmentally friendly, and economic profitable source of energy, which will satisfy about 40% of the country’s need for electricity. The launch of the Belarusian nuclear power plant will provide a considerable impulse to the development of other branches of the national economy and the introduction of innovative technologies,” Viktor Karankevich noted.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant is being built near Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast using the Russian design AES-2006 featuring two VVER-1200 reactors with the total output capacity of 2,400MW. The Russian state nuclear industry corporation Rosatom is the general contractor. Generation III+ reactor units boast improved technical and economic parameters.

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