Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 4 June (BelTA) – The Belarusian government encourages the consumption of electric energy in Belarus, including through the use of electric vehicles, Belarus’ Vice Premier Vladimir Semashko said in an interview to the ONT TV channel, BelTA informs.

Commenting on the exhibition of the Belarusian Industrial Forum, Vladimir Semashko emphasized the active development of electric transport in the country, including both electric buses and cars. “We plan to produce and sell some 40,000-70,000 cars,” the deputy prime minister said. “We are currently stimulating electricity consumption. A program has been developed to make use of the surplus, including through the promotion of electric transport,” he added.

According to Vladimir Semashko, a draft decree has been prepared to stimulate the sales of electric vehicles. “I think that in the near future it will be submitted to the Presidential Administration. Belarus needs an infrastructure of charging stations to be located with an interval of no more than 100km,” the deputy prime minister said.

There are plans to launch the first unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant in 2019. Its second unit will go online by the end of 2020. In 2018, Belarus refused to import electricity.