Nuclear power plant to ensure Belarus’ energy security

The construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant will take care of the country’s energy security. The statement was made by Alexei Kubrin, Deputy State Secretary, member of the Permanent Committee of the Union State of Belarus and Russia, as he visited the nuclear energy information center in Nizhny Novgorod on 29 October, BelTA has learned.

Alexei Kubrin remarked that the construction of a nuclear power plant of its own in Belarus is primarily meant to take care of the country’s energy security. “Today not everyone understands the importance of developing nuclear energy, however, this industry has great prospects. For Belarus the project is important from the point of view of energy industry, national security and politics,” said the official. He also underlined the importance of building the Belarusian nuclear power plant within the framework of the Union State of Belarus and Russia.

According to Alexei Kubrin, now the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant proceeds strictly on schedule. No critical violations have been detected during the construction process. All the issues are routinely handled by the Belarusian and Russian sides. “The construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant is approaching one of the key stages — a gradual transition from pure civil engineering operations to the installation of the power plant’s core equipment. The reactor vessel for the first power-generating unit is being transported from Volgodonsk to Ostrovets now,” said Alexei Kubrin.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant is a project to build an AES-2006 type nuclear power plant 18km away from Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast. The Belarusian nuclear power plant will have two power-generating units with the total output capacity of up to 2,400MW (2x1,200MW). In line with the general contract for building the nuclear power plant the first power-generating unit is scheduled for commissioning in 2018, with the second one to go online in 2020.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant is being built using the Russian three-plus generation design AES-2006. The design meets strict norms and recommendations of the International Atomic Energy Agency and boasts improved safety parameters. Belarus and Russia have signed all the necessary intergovernmental agreements for the sake of implementing the project.