Physical launch of Belarus nuclear power plant's second unit scheduled for autumn 2021

<p> MINSK, May 20 - PrimePress. The physical launch of the second unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant (BelNPP, Astravyets, Grodno Oblast) is due to take place in autumn 2021, said Belarusian Energy Minister Viktor Karankevich. </p> <p>   </p> <p> “Fuel rod arrays for the second reactor were delivered to the construction site in April. The fuel is now kept in a special storage facility. It will be placed inside the reactor core in autumn. It will be another important stage – the so-called physical launch,” Karankevich said. </p> <p>   </p> <p> In his words, work on the second unit proceeds on schedule: as much as 85% of the required construction work has been done. </p> <p>   </p> <p> According to Karankevich, the Belarusian nuclear power plant has already generated about 2.3 billion kWh of electricity. Once the Belarusian nuclear power plant is fully commissioned, it will be able to generate about 18.5 billion kWh of electricity per annum, which will satisfy about 40% of the country's need for electricity. </p> <p>   </p> <p> One of the key tasks for the five-year period in the context of the BelNPP launch to increase electricity consumption both by the real sector and by private households, said Karankevich. “We intend to raise the country's overall electricity consumption to 44 billion kWh by 2025,” Karankevich said. </p> <p>   </p> <p> As previously reported, in late April 2021 the first unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant finished the first stage of the pilot commercial operation stage, where they practised operating the unit at all the output settings - 50%, 75%, 90%, and 100% of the nominal output. They plan to consider the possibility of issuing a licence to operate the first unit of BelNPP in May 2021. </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. The first power unit of the NPP is expected to be put into commercial operation in 2021, the second power unit – in 2022. End </p> <p>   </p>

2021-05-21

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