Today and Tomorrow of Belarusian Nuclear Power

Installation of core equipment of Belarusian nuclear power plant to begin in 2016

The large-scale installation of equipment of the Belarusian nuclear power plant will begin in 2016, BelTA learned from Belarusian Deputy Energy Minister Mikhail Mikhadyuk on 18 December.

According to the official, work at the Belarusian nuclear power plant construction site proceeds on schedule. Respectively the installation of the core equipment is expected to happen within the designated timeframe. “The core equipment for the first power-generating unit will be delivered to the nuclear power plant construction site in 2016. Considerable volumes of electrical equipment and other kinds have been delivered already. Some parts of equipment for the second unit will be delivered in 2016,” explained the Deputy Energy Minister.

Anatoly Bondar, Chief Engineer of the state enterprise Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant, specified that two steam generators for the first power-generating unit are supposed to be delivered in 2016. One unit requires four steam generators and two of them are already in Ostrovets. The third steam generator is ready for shipment, noted the specialist.

The main circulating pumps are supposed to be delivered in February-September 2016. Besides, plans have been made to deliver diesel generators in 2016. They will help improve the safety of the nuclear power plant’s power-generating units. A transport sluice will be delivered as well as the automated system for managing the technological processes.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant is a project to build an AES-2006 type nuclear power plant 18km away from Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast. The Belarusian nuclear power plant will have two power-generating units with the total output capacity of up to 2,400MW (2x1,200MW). In line with the general contract for building the nuclear power plant the first power-generating unit is scheduled for commissioning in 2018, with the second one to go online in 2020.

BelNPP first unit to come online in November 2018

The first power-generating unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant (BelNPP) will be commissioned in November 2018, the second one in July 2020, said Anatoly Bondar, Chief Engineer of the enterprise Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant, BelTA has learned.

“The first power unit is scheduled for commissioning in November 2018, the second one in July 2020. Today we are working hard, so the time between the commissioning of the first and the second unit may be reduced. We observed a similar situation as nuclear power plants were launched in other countries,” Anatoly Bondar said.

In 2015, the construction of the two power-generating units was simultaneously underway. The training and education center and the fire station were built. The construction of the buildings of the first and second reactors, turbine houses, administration buildings, safety facilities, standby diesel power plants, and cooling towers continues. All the works at the BelNPP construction site are on schedule, Anatoly Bondar noted.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant is a project to build an AES-2006 type nuclear power plant 18km away from Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast. The Belarusian nuclear power plant will have two power-generating units with the total output capacity of up to 2,400MW (2x1,200MW).

BelNPP equipment estimated at $3bn

The cost of the equipment for the Belarusian nuclear power plant (BelNPP) is estimated at $3 billion, Anatoly Bondar, Chief Engineer of the enterprise Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant, said at a press conference on 18 December, BelTA has learned.

“The total cost of the equipment for the Belarusian nuclear power plant is around $3 billion,” Anatoly Bondar said. The equipment with prolonged manufacturing cycle (everything related to reactors and the turbine system) is estimated at some $1.6 billion.

Anatoly Bondar noted that 7.5% of the general industrial equipment for the BelNPP is manufactured by Belarusian enterprises. “I am talking specifically about general industrial equipment. This does not apply to equipment with prolonged manufacturing cycle. As you see, Belarusian companies are directly involved in the BelNPP project. The share of their products in the total amount of equipment is growing, albeit slowly,” he stressed.

For his part, Belarusian Deputy Energy Minister Mikhail Mikhadyuk said that Belarusian companies show willingness to tender for contracts to supply equipment for the nuclear plant. Kozlov Minsk Electrotechnical Plant is one of them. In the majority of cases domestic producers supply engines, cables, containers, and metal structures. “The matter of participation of Belarusian enterprises in the project is reviewed monthly. Of course, there are special requirements for the suppliers of equipment for the nuclear power plant,” Mikhail Mikhadyuk added.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant is a project to build an AES-2006 type nuclear power plant 18km away from Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast. The Belarusian nuclear power plant will have two power-generating units with the total output capacity of up to 2,400MW (2x1,200MW). In line with the general contract for building the nuclear power plant, the first power-generating unit is scheduled for commissioning in 2018, with the second one to go online in 2020.

No critical remarks about construction of Belarusian nuclear power plant

No critical remarks have been voiced regarding the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant, BelTA learned from Anatoly Bondar, Chief Engineer of the state enterprise Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant, on 18 December.

Operations at the construction site are constantly monitored, including by the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Department of the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry (Gosatomnadzor) and civil engineering oversight agencies. “We have not heard any critical remarks concerning the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant,” stated Anatoly Bondar.

At present construction is in progress at 102 objects at the nuclear power plant construction site. Belarusian construction companies handle about 83% of the work while Russian ones do 17% of the work. The correlation was registered in January-November 2015. One of the main tasks is to build the protective shells on time in order to enable the conditions necessary for installing the reactor vessel. The installation of the reactor vessel of the first power-generating unit is supposed to take place in August 2016.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant is a project to build an AES-2006 type nuclear power plant 18km away from Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast. The Belarusian nuclear power plant will have two power-generating units with the total output capacity of up to 2,400MW (2x1,200MW). In line with the general contract for building the nuclear power plant the first power-generating unit is scheduled for commissioning in 2018, with the second one to go online in 2020.

Reactor vessel to arrive at Belarusian nuclear power plant construction site on 24 December

The reactor vessel for the first power-generating unit is supposed to arrive at the construction site of the Belarusian nuclear power plant on 24 December, BelTA learned from Anatoly Bondar, Chief Engineer of the state enterprise Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant, on 18 December.

Combined means of transportation are used to deliver the piece of equipment to the nuclear power plant. Heavy trucks transported it from the manufacturer to the Tsimlyansk water reservoir first. From there the vessel was shipped by river to Veliky Novgorod. A specialized transporter is now utilized to deliver the reactor vessel by rail to Ostrovets.

The reactor vessel is supposed to cross the Belarusian-Russian border today, papers are being processed now. It is expected to arrive at the railway station Bobrovniki on 24 December. The railway station is used to service the construction site and is located close to the Belarusian nuclear power plant. According to Anatoly Bondar, the reactor vessel’s transportation is taking so long because it can be transported by rail only during daytime.

The reactor vessel for the first power-generating unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant was made by the Volgodonsk-based branch Atommash of the Russian company AEM Technologies. The manufacturer sent the product on its way on 14 October. This piece of equipment weighs over 330 tonnes. It is 13 meters high, with the diameter as large as 4.5 meters. On the whole, AEM Technologies will make over 50 kinds of equipment for the Belarusian nuclear power plant. A total of over 4,000 tonnes of equipment will be made and shipped in 2013-2017.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant is a project to build an AES-2006 type nuclear power plant 18km away from Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast. The Belarusian nuclear power plant will have two power-generating units with the total output capacity of up to 2,400MW (2x1,200MW). In line with the general contract for building the nuclear power plant the first power-generating unit is scheduled for commissioning in 2018, with the second one to go online in 2020.

Russian company TVEL to supply nuclear fuel for BelNPP

The Russian company TVEL will supply nuclear fuel for the Belarusian nuclear power plant (BelNPP), Anatoly Bondar, Chief Engineer of the enterprise Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant, said at a press conference on 18 December, BelTA has learned.

The timeframe for the supplies has not been specified yet. “Together with the Russian side, we are drawing up a nuclear fuel supply agreement in line with the contract,” Belarusian Deputy Energy Minister Mikhail Mikhadyuk noted. The agreement is expected to outline the terms for the initial load of nuclear fuel and the first reload.

The company TVEL is part of the fuel division of the Russian state corporation ROSATOM. It incorporates enterprises for nuclear fuel production, conversion and enrichment of uranium, manufacture of gas centrifuges, and also several research and design institutions. TVEL’s core business is fabrication and supply of the nuclear fuel for power and research reactors. Nuclear fuel is supplied to 78 power reactors in Russia and 15 countries in Europe and Asia, 30 research reactors worldwide, and all transport reactors of the Russian nuclear-powered ships. Every sixth nuclear reactor in the world is operated on the fuel fabricated by TVEL.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant is a project to build an AES-2006 type nuclear power plant 18km away from Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast. The Belarusian nuclear power plant will have two power-generating units with the total output capacity of up to 2,400MW (2x1,200MW). In line with the general contract for building the nuclear power plant, the first power-generating unit is scheduled for commissioning in 2018, with the second one to go online in 2020.

Russia remains Belarus’ strategic partner in nuclear power

Russia remains Belarus’ strategic partner in the nuclear power sector, head of the department of international cooperation, personnel training and information support of the Nuclear Power Department of the Energy Ministry of Belarus Lilia Dulinets told a press conference on 18 December, BelTA informs.

Lilia Dulinets stressed that Belarus has also been expanding its cooperation with the countries that have a well-developed nuclear power sector: France, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, the Republic of Korea.

Belarus has also established cooperation with nuclear newcomers. For example, Belarus signed the declaration on cooperation with Bangladesh that is building its first nuclear power plant Rooppur's based on a modified version of the Russian NPP-2006 VVER design. “The works in Bangladesh are in the preparatory phase. In autumn, a Bangladeshi delegation visited the construction site of the Belarusian nuclear power plant to study our experience,” said Lilia Dulinets stressed.

In addition, Belarus has taken steps to step up cooperation with international organizations, especially the IAEA and the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO).