WANO experts conduct peer review of Belarusian nuclear power plant

MINSK, 20 August (BelTA) – Experts of the Moscow Center of the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) carried out a prelaunch peer review of the first unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant on 17-19 August. The delegation was led by Director of the Moscow Center Vasily Aksenov, the press service of the Belarusian Energy Ministry told BelTA.

The peer review covered the most important aspects of the work of the Belarusian nuclear power plant's operating enterprise in order to evaluate the readiness of the first unit's equipment and systems for a safe and reliable launch and consequent operation.

According to the source, as they visited the construction site of the Belarusian nuclear power plant, the experts did not detect any shortcomings that may impede the safe launch of the first unit.

The WANO experts mentioned considerable progress in the operation of the Belarusian nuclear power plant, in particular, in efforts to enable and control the proper state of safety-relevant equipment and systems. An improvement in all the checked aspects of operational activities was also mentioned.

The World Association of Nuclear Operators unites all the companies that operate nuclear power plants across the globe. The organization fosters the sharing of international experience for the sake of achieving the highest level of safety and reliability in the operation of nuclear power plants. The state enterprise Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant became a member of WANO's Moscow Center on 22 April 2015.

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 Russian state nuclear industry corporation Rosatom is the general contractor. Generation III+ reactor units boast improved technical and economic parameters. The power startup of the first unit and its connection to the country's power grid are scheduled for Q4 2020. The launch of the second unit is supposed to take place in 2022.