Hot trials of first unit of Belarusian nuclear power plant expected to end by late March

MINSK, 4 March (BelTA) – Hot trials of equipment of the first unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant are supposed to end by the end of March, BelTA learned from Belarusian Deputy Energy Minister Mikhail Mikhadyuk.

The official said: “We are supposed to finish the hot trials stage this month. Later on all the equipment subjected to the hot trials will be examined and we will move on to the physical launch.”

Asked when nuclear fuel will be delivered to the Belarusian nuclear power plant, the official noted it will be done once the first unit is ready for the physical launch.

Hot trials are a technological process that imitates the operation of a live reactor. Only fuel rod array imitators are placed inside the reactor instead of genuine fuel. Hot trials represent the largest stage of the startup and commissioning work before the physical launch.

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.