OSTROVETS DISTRICT, 22 December (BelTA) – The second unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant will be commissioned by summer 2022. Prime Minister of Belarus Roman Golovchenko made the statement as he visited the nuclear power plant on 22 December where the loading of fresh nuclear fuel into the second reactor had begun, the press service of the Belarusian Energy Ministry told BelTA.
It is symbolical that the event coincided with the professional holiday Energy Industry Worker's Day and will become a good gift for all the employees of the Belarusian power engineering industry. “Today is a very important day: time has come for the physical launch of the second unit, the loading of fresh nuclear fuel has begun, it was preceded by a lot of preparations, the relevant license was granted, respectively, we've become witnesses of this historical event,” Roman Golovchenko said.
“We are proceeding on schedule and intend to commission the second unit by next summer,” the prime minister said. “Thus, the Belarusian nuclear power plant will reach the rated output and will generate about 40% of the country's total electricity.” It is a serious step towards Belarus' stronger energy security, Roman Golovchenko said.
First Deputy Director General for Nuclear Energy of the Russian state nuclear industry corporation Rosatom Aleksandr Lokshin noted that the corporation will continue cooperating with the Belarusian side even after the second unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant is commissioned. “We believe it is our responsibility to take care of the reliability and safety of the units we build. So, we will stand by and will provide support to personnel of the Belarusian nuclear power plant,” he stressed.
The Belarusian nuclear power plant is located near Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast and features a Russian Generation III+ design with two VVER-1200 reactors with the total output capacity of 2,400MW. The design is fully compliant with international norms and recommendations of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
