136.9m kWh of electricity generated by first unit of Belarusian nuclear power plant

MINSK, 11 December (BelTA) – The first unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant has generated 136.9 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity, BelTA learned from the websites of the Belarusian Energy Ministry and the national energy company Belenergo.

The readiness degree of the first unit stands at 99%. The unit is going through the final steps of the power startup stage. During this stage the reactor's output has to be raised to 50% of the designed output and the generator has to be connected to the power grid. The key task is to verify the reliable and safe operation of the systems, equipment, and the unit as a whole. The most important operation trials are arranged as part of the power startup stage, including tests to verify the actual physical parameters and performance figures match the designed ones in a stationary operation mode and a transitionary operation mode.

Progress of construction and installation work at the second unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant is at 75%. Pre-commissioning procedures are now in progress. Systems and equipment are going through acceptance procedures after installation. Equipment and pipes are being cleaned after installation. Tightness and durability tests are being performed. Machines and mechanisms are being tested at idle loads. This stage provides for preparing equipment of the reactor unit for operation during cold and hot trials.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant is being built near Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast using the Russian design AES-2006 featuring two VVER-1200 reactors with the total output capacity of 2,400MW. The engineering division of the Russian state nuclear industry corporation Rosatom is the general contractor.