Opinions & Interviews

Belarus ready to share its NPP construction experience with Hungary

MINSK, 26 June (BelTA) – Belarus is ready to share its experience in implementing the national nuclear energy program with Hungary, Belarus’ Energy Minister Viktor Karankevich said as he met with Janos Suli, Hungarian minister responsible for the planning, construction and commissioning of the two new blocks at the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian Energy Ministry.

“We are ready to discuss matters related to the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant and to share the accumulated experience in implementing the national nuclear energy program,” Viktor Karankevich said.

The parties considered a possibility to establish cooperation in the energy sector, including in nuclear energy.

On the eve of the visit to the Energy Ministry, the Hungarian delegation visited the Belarusian NPP construction site and the town of Ostrovets where they studied Belarus’ experience in building infrastructure for construction workers and maintenance personnel of the station. The Hungarian delegation received detailed information about the work of the station’s information center, visited a full-scale simulator in a training center and facilities on the NPP’s construction site.

“Belarus has enormous experience in creating good living and working conditions for the personnel at such an important facility as the nuclear power plant. Given the comparability of the construction scale, this experience can be used to manage the construction of the two new blocks at the Paks Nuclear Power Plant,” said Janos Suli.

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.

The interest of the Hungarian specialists in the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant is due to the fact that the two new blocks of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant will be built in line with the reference project of Russian NPPs with a VVER-1200 generation 3+ reactor.

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