Physical launch of second unit of Belarusian nuclear power plant authorized

MINSK, 21 December (BelTA) – Acting upon materials submitted by the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Department of the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry (Gosatomnadzor), the ministry's board has decided in favor of granting the license to begin the physical launch of the second unit of the nuclear power plant to the state enterprise Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant, Gosatomnadzor representatives told BelTA.

Before making the decision Gosatomnadzor's commission for licensing activities in the area of usage of nuclear energy and sources of ionizing radiation reviewed the documents that justify the safety of the Belarusian nuclear power plant, including expert conclusions and results of the comprehensive inspection the state enterprise Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant underwent before the license to begin the physical launch of the second unit can be granted.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant is being built near Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast using a Russian Generation III+ design featuring two VVER-1200 reactors with the total output capacity of 2,400MW. The design is fully compliant with international norms and recommendations of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).