Lithuania locks out Belarus’ commercial electricity

<p> MINSK, Nov 3 - PrimePress. Lithuania has set zero capacity for Belarusian commercial electricity, the Lithuanian transmission system operator Litgrid reports. </p> <p>   </p> <p> Litgrid set a zero MW capacity for commercial electricity flow from Belarus at 11:38 after its System Control Centre recorded, at 11:06 today, data showing electricity production at the Astravyets NPP, the operator said in a statement. </p> <p>   </p> <p> Litgrid refers to the Lithuania’s law on Measures against Threats Posed by Unsafe Nuclear Power Plants in Third Countries. </p> <p>   </p> <p> “These national measures ensure that Astravyets electricity is not traded on our market, but solutions reached at the regional level to bar the plant's electricity from the Baltic electricity market are equally important,” says Lithuania Energy Minister Žygimantas Vaičiūnas. </p> <p>   </p> <p> Litgrid has informed the Nord Pool power exchange that no commercial electricity exchanges between Belarus and Lithuania will be available from now on. </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 nuclear reactor of the first power unit was started in October 2020. According to the schedule, the first start of the first power unit is planned for November 7, 2020. The first power unit is expected to be put into commercial operation in the first quarter of 2021, the second power unit – in 2022. The first power unit of the NPP was connected to the national grid on November 3, 2020. End </p>

2020-11-04

Primepress