Belarus’ security watchdog issues permit to allow loading fuel to first unit of Astravyets nuke plant

<p> MINSK, Aug 6 - PrimePress. Belarus’ Ministry for Emergencies on Aug 6, 2020 issued a permit, which gives the green light to the procedure of loading fuel to the first unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant (BelNPP, Astravyets District, Grodno Oblast). The permit comes as a complement to relevant licence issued earlier to the state enterprise “Belarusian NPP”, says a press-release by the Department of Nuclear and Radiation Safety of the Ministry for Emergency Situations of the Republic of Belarus (Gosatomnadzor). </p> <p>   </p> <p> This was reported by the press service of the Department of Nuclear and Radiation Safety of Emergencies Ministry (Gosatomnadzor). </p> <p>   </p> <p> “On Aug 6, 2020, the board of Belarus’ Ministry for Emergencies took a positive decision to add to the license of the State Enterprise “Belarusian NPP” the right to carry out activities in the field of nuclear energy, allowing the first loading of the reactor core of the unit one of the Belarusian NPP,” reads the report on the website of Gosatomnadzor. </p> <p>   </p> <p> Gosatomnadzor says its decision is based on the results of the examination of safety and security documents, following an inspection of BelNPP facilities to check whether everything is in place and in good order to perform the declared activities. </p> <p>   </p> <p> According to the press service of the Energy Ministry, the loading of nuclear fuel into the reactor core of the first unit of BelNPP will begin on Aug 7. </p> <p>   </p> <p> As previously reported, Gosatomnadzor will sequentially issue permits for the listed stages of commissioning of power unit No.1 of the Belarusian NPP (the closest of them is the first loading of the standard core), taking into account the readiness of the NPP. Once all stages have been completed, it will consider issuing a license for the power unit operation. </p> <p>   </p> <p> The first unit of the Astravyets nuke plant will be put into commercial operation in Q1 2021. At the same time, Gosatomnadzor point out that public hearings will be held before the agency has issued the license for the first unit. </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. The AES-2006 Russian standard design of (generation 3+) was chosen for its construction. The startup of the first power unit was postponed from 2018 to 2019 and then to the third quarter of 2020. The second unit is expected to be launched in 2021. Rosatom’s division Atomstroyexport acts as the general contractor for the NPP construction. The Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant RUE is the project customer and the future operator of the NPP. End </p>

2020-08-07

Primepress