Astravyets nuke plant to be of no benefit for Belarus for 15-20 years – Tsepkalo
<p> MINSK, Jun 23 - PrimePress. Belarus will have no benefit from its nuclear power plant (Astravyets District, Grodno Oblast) for 15-20 years, presidential aspirant, former head of the High-Tech Park Valery Tsepkalo told Russian RIA Novosti news agency. </p> <p> </p> <p> Tsepkalo is critical of the NPP construction aimed at diversifying energy sources. “Why didn’t we take the path of upgrading the existing thermal power plants and making the energy more efficient? Now we import technology and raw materials, and will store and process spent fuel. There is nothing of our own in it, and we will have to pay for everything. We cannot provide relevant education, because it requires huge money, time and effort. It will be quite expensive electricity. We must pay off the Russian loan, and even if we exported electricity at good prices, although we see Lithuania’s countermeasures, Belarus will not have any benefit from the plant for the next 15-20 years,” he said. </p> <p> </p> <p> Tsepkalo said Belarus cannot shut the NPP down without repaying the loan to Russia. “A government just cannot renounce earlier obligations inherited from the previous government. If the European Union gave us money to pay Russia, we could close the plant and make it a nuclear energy museum,” he said. </p> <p> </p> <p> According to Tsepkalo, as an EU member, Lithuania could apply to the European Commission and the most concerned member states to raise funds for closing the NPP and pay off the loan to Russia. </p> <p> </p> <p> As reported, the presidential election in Belarus is scheduled for August 9, 2020. Having collected the required number of signature, seven persons, including Tsepkalo continue their campaigns. </p> <p> </p> <p> Belarus’ first nuclear power plant in Ostrovets (a town in the Grodno Region also referred to as Astravyets) will have two units with a combined capacity of up to 2,400 megawatts, which are slated to be launched in 2019 and 2020, respectively. The Belarusian nuclear station’s design stems from the AES-2006 design developed by the St Petersburg-based institute Atomenergoproject, which is also the general contractor of the Belarusian project. </p> <p> </p> <p> Lithuania took a firm stance against the Belarusian NPP at the very inception of the project. Its parliament officially declared the power plant a threat to Lithuania’s national security. Lithuania now spares no efforts to prevent the import of energy that will be generated by the NPP into the EU. End </p>
2020-06-24
Primepress
MINSK, Jun 23 - PrimePress. Belarus will have no benefit from its nuclear power plant (Astravyets District, Grodno Oblast) for 15-20 years, presidential aspirant, former head of the High-Tech Park Valery Tsepkalo told Russian RIA Novosti news agency.
Tsepkalo is critical of the NPP construction aimed at diversifying energy sources. “Why didn’t we take the path of upgrading the existing thermal power plants and making the energy more efficient? Now we import technology and raw materials, and will store and process spent fuel. There is nothing of our own in it, and we will have to pay for everything. We cannot provide relevant education, because it requires huge money, time and effort. It will be quite expensive electricity. We must pay off the Russian loan, and even if we exported electricity at good prices, although we see Lithuania’s countermeasures, Belarus will not have any benefit from the plant for the next 15-20 years,” he said.
Tsepkalo said Belarus cannot shut the NPP down without repaying the loan to Russia. “A government just cannot renounce earlier obligations inherited from the previous government. If the European Union gave us money to pay Russia, we could close the plant and make it a nuclear energy museum,” he said.
According to Tsepkalo, as an EU member, Lithuania could apply to the European Commission and the most concerned member states to raise funds for closing the NPP and pay off the loan to Russia.
As reported, the presidential election in Belarus is scheduled for August 9, 2020. Having collected the required number of signature, seven persons, including Tsepkalo continue their campaigns.
Belarus’ first nuclear power plant in Ostrovets (a town in the Grodno Region also referred to as Astravyets) will have two units with a combined capacity of up to 2,400 megawatts, which are slated to be launched in 2019 and 2020, respectively. The Belarusian nuclear station’s design stems from the AES-2006 design developed by the St Petersburg-based institute Atomenergoproject, which is also the general contractor of the Belarusian project.
Lithuania took a firm stance against the Belarusian NPP at the very inception of the project. Its parliament officially declared the power plant a threat to Lithuania’s national security. Lithuania now spares no efforts to prevent the import of energy that will be generated by the NPP into the EU. End