Hot trials of first reactor of Belarusian nuclear power plant over

MINSK, 14 April (BelTA) – The first unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant has successfully completed one of the most important stages and the largest stage of the program on preparing the nuclear installation for operation – hot trials of the reactor unit, BelTA learned from the press service of ASE Company (the engineering division of the Russian state nuclear industry corporation Rosatom).

Hot trials began on 11 December 2019. As many as 242 various tests have been held since then. Their main purpose was to confirm the compliance of the nuclear island's systems and equipment with design specifications during operation at nominal parameters, during warming-up and cooling-down of the reactor unit before the nuclear reactor power startup.

In the course of hot trials at nominal parameters the working capacity of all the four main circulation pumps was checked, the main steam pipes were subjected to steam blowing, the working capacity of the control systems and the safeguards of the reactor unit was checked, power supply for balance-of-plant needs was checked.

The main pressure relief valves of the steam generators were checked as well as the pressure compensator.

ASE Company Vice President and director of the Belarusian nuclear power plant construction project Vitaly Polyanin said: “We've successfully completed the hot trials stage. We've performed the necessary volume of tests at nominal operation parameters of the reactor unit, during warming-up and cooling-down of the reactor unit. The tests indicate that all the equipment and process systems engaged as part of the program match design specifications.”

A number of the tests will be repeated during the nuclear reactor power startup. A revision of the primary equipment and auxiliary equipment of the primary circuit and the secondary circuit of the power unit is the next step in line with the plan on preparing the unit for the physical launch. The revision is supposed to be finished in mid-June.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant is being built near Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast using a Russian design featuring two VVER-1200 reactors with the total output capacity of 2,400MW. Rosatom's engineering division – ASE Company – is the general contractor. The first unit is supposed to go online in 2020, with the second one scheduled for launch in 2021.