Nuclear fuel delivered to Belarusian nuclear power plant

MINSK, 6 May (BelTA) – A train carrying nuclear fuel for the first unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant has arrived at the nuclear power plant's construction site, the press service of the Belarusian Energy Ministry told BelTA.

According to the source, the necessary technical readiness of the premises, equipment, systems, and components of the Belarusian nuclear power plant has been secured. The organizational readiness of the nuclear power plant personnel for handling the fresh nuclear fuel safely has been ensured as well. Internal troops of the Belarusian Internal Affairs Ministry were put on guard of facilities of the first unit in line with laws and regulations before the fuel was delivered.

In line with technical regulations specialists of the state enterprise Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant will work together with the general contractor – ASE Company – to receive the fuel and carry out the receipt inspection.

BelTA reported earlier that a batch of nuclear fuel to start the reactor of the first power-generating unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant was made by Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant (NCCP, part of TVEL Fuel Company of the Russian nuclear industry corporation Rosatom).

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.