Plans to reconnect first unit of Belarusian nuclear power plant to power grid after tests today

MINSK, 21 December (BelTA) – The first unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant is supposed to be connected to the power grid after scheduled tests today. Belarusian Energy Minister Viktor Karankevich made the statement in BelTA's press center on 21 December.

The official said: “The reactor power startup stage is nearing completion. Plans have been made to connect [the first unit] to the power grid today, raise the reactor's output to 50%, and raise the turbine generator output to 500MW.”

The pilot commercial operation of the first unit will begin soon. As part of this stage the reactor's output will be raised from 50% to 100% while the output of the turbine generator will be raised from 500MW to the nominal rating power of 1,190MW.

The readiness of the first unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant is at 99%. As much as 75% of construction and installation operations have been done at the second unit. Primary equipment is being assembled over there now. Process pipes and cables are being laid.

On 3 December the Energy Ministry said that the first unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant had been disconnected from the power grid as planned for the sake of equipment testing.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant is being built near Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast using the Russian design AES-2006 featuring two VVER-1200 reactors with the total output capacity of 2,400MW. The engineering division of the Russian state nuclear industry corporation Rosatom is the general contractor.