BelNPP to help reduce electricity costs, further differentiate tariffs

The launch of the Belarusian nuclear power plant will help reduce the cost of electricity and further differentiate tariffs, Belarusian Deputy Energy Minister Mikhail Mikhadyuk told the media on the sidelines of the 61st session of the IAEA General Conference on 19 September, BelTA has learned.

According to the deputy minister, specialists have calculated the expected reduction in the electricity costs once Belarus commissions the nuclear power plant. They are now calculating the new reduced tariffs for the real economy. Mikhail Mikhadyuk did not specify the figures but clarified that these are preliminary estimates.

The tariffs for households will be further differentiated. “We already have the differentiated tariffs for households. We are now working on optimizing them. We have devised the approaches to the ‘menu’ of tariffs, and we will be improving them once the BelNPP is up and running,” Mikhail Mikhadyuk clarified.

When asked about the possible export of the BelNPP-produced electricity, Mikhail Mikhadyuk stressed that the nuclear power plant should supply cheaper electricity primarily to Belarusian consumers. “If the trends on the foreign markets are favorable and we are competitive, we will be doing this,” he added.