Nuclear fuel ready for insertion into second unit of Belarusian nuclear power plant

MINSK, 3 May (BelTA) – Nuclear fuel is ready for initial insertion into the reactor of the second unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant, BelTA learned from the press service of the Russian state nuclear industry corporation Rosatom.

According to the source, the Belarusian nuclear power plant has successfully finished the delivery and incoming inspection of nuclear fuel (fuel rod arrays and neutron-absorbing rods of the control and protection system) for initial insertion into the reactor of the second unit. The fresh fuel was delivered as part of the general contract on building the Belarusian nuclear power plant.

The incoming inspection was carried out by specialists of the state enterprise Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant, representatives of the general contractor Atomstroyexport, and representatives of Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant (NCCP). Every stage of the inspection was overseen by personnel of the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Department of the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry (Gosatomnadzor). Following the established procedure, the specialists checked accompanying documents, the external state of the fuel, reference geometrical parameters, the integrity of the technical solutions that indicate access to the fuel rod arrays. Papers were signed to confirm the successful accomplishment of the incoming inspection at the site, the proper quality and readiness of the delivered batch of nuclear fuel for the initial insertion into the reactor.

Before fuel needs to be introduced into the reactor of the second unit, all the fuel will be stored in a storage facility where all the necessary conditions are observed.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant featuring two VVER-1200 reactors with the total output capacity of 2,400MW is being built near Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast.