Full-scale equipment installation to begin at Belarusian nuclear power plant in 2016

Full-scale equipment installation at the Belarusian nuclear power plant will begin in 2016, BelTA learned from Mikhail Filimonov, Director General of the enterprise Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant, during the IAEA seminar on nuclear power infrastructure development in Vienna.

The Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant Director General said that plans had been made to begin installing primary equipment in 2016. The primary equipment includes a reactor vessel, steam generators, and a turbine-generator set.

In early 2016 full-scale construction and installation operations were in progress at 102 facilities and structures of the first and second power-generating units of the Belarusian nuclear power plant as well as general power plant facilities. Between the time construction began and 1 January 2016 construction workers installed as much as 90,200 tonnes of reinforcement bars (56.9% of the total volume). They also poured 581,600m3 of concrete or 49.1% of the total volume. Nine companies are busy performing heating installation operations. Five companies are working on wiring operations. Another 15 civil engineering companies are employed for other operations. The total number of workers exceeds 4,600 people.

In 2015 the main milestones of the nuclear power plant construction project included the delivery of the reactor vessel for the first power-generating unit to the construction site, the installation of the core catcher for the second power-generating unit, the commissioning of the nuclear power plant’s training and education center and the set of buildings that make up the fire station.

The Director General also said that in 2017 they intend to begin startup and commissioning operations at the first power-generating unit and primary equipment installation at the second unit.