Belarus ready to share nuclear power plant construction experience with Kazakhstan

Belarus is ready to share its experience of building a nuclear power plant with colleagues from Kazakhstan. The statement was made by Belarusian Deputy Energy Minister Mikhail Mikhadyuk during the press briefing held in BelTA’s press center on 27 August to discuss the safe development of nuclear power engineering and the non-proliferation regime as guarantees of the mankind’s future.

During the event Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kazakhstan to Belarus Yergali Bulegenov noted that Kazakhstan had been considering the idea of building a nuclear power plant of its own for quite a long period of time. In 2014 Kazakh specialists visited the construction site of the Belarusian nuclear power plant. The Belarusian Deputy Energy Minister said: “We told them everything in detail. When Kazakhstan makes the decision [to build a nuclear power plant of its own], we will be ready to share everything we have learned. I think this interaction will only make us richer with regard to knowledge and the implementation of such large-scale projects.”

Belarus’ project to build a nuclear power plant is in its practical phase. “Many countries take a live interest in our experience, because Rosatom, which is the general contractor, praises the successful organization of the work both during the preparatory period and the construction period,” noted the official.

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.