Belarus to engage in bitcoin mining, using electricity from NPP – Lukashenko
<p> MINSK, Jan 6 - PrimePress. Belarus is going to engage in bitcoin mining, using electricity from nuclear power plant (Astravyets District, Grodno Oblast), President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said on January 5, 2021 when visiting Horizont Holding Management Company JSC (Minsk), STV TV channel reports. </p> <p> </p> <p> “They say they want to build farms and begin bitcoin mining, but cheap electricity is required for that. It was not good at 6,000 [dollars for 1 bitcoin]. Now it’s 33,000, although it has fallen by 10% in the last 24 hours, but it is still over 30,000, so this is a done deal, and there will be electricity,” said Lukashenko. </p> <p> </p> <p> According to the president, this increase in domestic demand for electricity makes the building of a second nuclear power plant in Belarus well-reasoned. </p> <p> </p> <p> “I was right saying that we should build a second NPP. We need this electricity for ourselves. It is the cheapest energy. Most importantly, after we have put the plant into operation, we won’t have to buy 5 billion cubic meters out of the 22 billion cubic meters of gas we buy now. This means greater independence, because the fuel is loaded for five years, and its cost at current prices is around 150 million dollars. And how much would we have to pay for gas? If we had a second nuclear power plant somewhere over there in the east, 10 billion cubic meters of gas would be enough for us. This is great independence from the monopoly,” said Lukashenko. </p> <p> </p> <p> Belarus’ first nuclear power plant in Ostrovets (a town in the Grodno Oblast 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. 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. The ceremony of the official launch of the NPP took place in early November 2020. According to presidential decree No.447 of November 30, 2020, the first power unit of the NPP will be put into commercial operation in 2021, the second power unit – in the first half of 2022. End </p> <p> </p>
2021-01-07
Primepress
Belarus to engage in bitcoin mining, using electricity from NPP – Lukashenko
MINSK, Jan 6 - PrimePress. Belarus is going to engage in bitcoin mining, using electricity from nuclear power plant (Astravyets District, Grodno Oblast), President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said on January 5, 2021 when visiting Horizont Holding Management Company JSC (Minsk), STV TV channel reports.
“They say they want to build farms and begin bitcoin mining, but cheap electricity is required for that. It was not good at 6,000 [dollars for 1 bitcoin]. Now it’s 33,000, although it has fallen by 10% in the last 24 hours, but it is still over 30,000, so this is a done deal, and there will be electricity,” said Lukashenko.
According to the president, this increase in domestic demand for electricity makes the building of a second nuclear power plant in Belarus well-reasoned.
“I was right saying that we should build a second NPP. We need this electricity for ourselves. It is the cheapest energy. Most importantly, after we have put the plant into operation, we won’t have to buy 5 billion cubic meters out of the 22 billion cubic meters of gas we buy now. This means greater independence, because the fuel is loaded for five years, and its cost at current prices is around 150 million dollars. And how much would we have to pay for gas? If we had a second nuclear power plant somewhere over there in the east, 10 billion cubic meters of gas would be enough for us. This is great independence from the monopoly,” said Lukashenko.
Belarus’ first nuclear power plant in Ostrovets (a town in the Grodno Oblast 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. 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. The ceremony of the official launch of the NPP took place in early November 2020. According to presidential decree No.447 of November 30, 2020, the first power unit of the NPP will be put into commercial operation in 2021, the second power unit – in the first half of 2022. End