Belarusian nuclear power plant's launch heralded as momentous event

OSTROVETS, 3 November (BelTA) – The commissioning of the Belarusian nuclear power plant is a historical event for the country, BelTA learned from Belarusian Energy Minister Viktor Karankevich.

Viktor Karankevich said: “Belarus has become one of the powers that use nuclear energy for peaceful goals. We've made a very serious step in enhancing energy security and energy self-dependence of our country.”

Speaking about key advantages of the project, he pointed out that Belarus has stopped importing electricity and has reduced dependence on imported natural gas. Since the first unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant was connected to the national power grid on 3 November 2020, the nuclear power plant has generated a total of 20.6 billion kWh of electricity. It allowed substituting 5.6 billion m3 of natural gas and saving over $650 million. An ecological effect has been achieved as well: greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced by over 9 million tonnes thanks to the operation of the Belarusian nuclear power plant. The nuclear power plant can satisfy the growing demand of the real sector of the economy and the population for electricity.

According to the Energy Ministry, every year the Belarusian nuclear power plant will generate about 18 billion kWh of electricity and will satisfy over 40% of the country's demand for electricity. The share of natural gas in the country's fuel and energy mix will drop to 65%.