Minister: BelNPP will generate nearly a quarter of all electricity in Belarus in 2023

MOSCOW, 11 October (BelTA) – By the end of 2023 the Belarusian nuclear power plant (BelNPP) will account for nearly a quarter of all electricity generated in Belarus, Belarusian Energy Minister Viktor Karankevich said as he spoke at the international forum Russian Energy Week in Moscow on 11 October, BelTA has learned.

When asked how much electricity the Belarusian nuclear power plant is projected to generate by the end of the year, taking into account the connection of the second unit of the BelNPP to the power grid, Viktor Karankevich said: “The BelNPP is projected to generate about 25% of all electricity output.”

The moderator remarked: “Belarus has stormed into the nuclear club, leaving far behind first Canada, Great Britain, and now us [Russia] and the USA, with 25% of electricity generated by one and a half power units.”

“This is still a preliminary estimate,” the energy minister clarified. “The figure is really big, and we see it in practice. It benefits the country's economy.”

During his speech at the forum, Viktor Karankevich noted that with the commissioning of the second unit, the nuclear power plant will annually generate about 18.5 billion kWh, which will meet more than 40% of domestic electricity needs. Since the connection of the first unit of the BelNPP into the unified power grid, the power plant has generated more than 20 billion kWh of electricity, which made it possible to replace 5.3 billion cubic meters of natural gas and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 9 million tonnes.

The forum is running in Moscow on 11-13 October. This year the event has gathered over 4,000 participants from more than 60 countries and territories. The business program of the forum includes about 30 events. The main theme is “The new reality of the global energy sector: creating the future”.