MINSK – A CEREMONY has been held to mark the completion of the construction and commissioning works at the Belarus Nuclear Power Plant (NPP).
Alexander Lukashenko, President of Belarus, Alexey Likhachev, ROSATOM Director General, and Viktor Karankevich, Minister of Energy of Belarus, attended the event.
During the event, the future cooperation agenda was presented.
“The necessary regulatory and legal framework has been created for active development and deepening of the integration processes in the energy sector, the operation of the power systems has been synchronized, important joint projects have been implemented, and the construction of Belarus NPP has become the largest one,” Likhachev said.
Karankevich described it as a reliable, safe and efficient power plant that already operates for the benefit of the country’s economy.
“The Belarusian nuclear power plant not only enhances energy security. The power plant represents a truly big leap in the technological development of the national economy. And all of it improves the quality of life of the people”, said Karankevich.
Belarus NPP is the first completed overseas project of ROSATOM with III+ generation VVER reactors. It is characterized by enhanced economic efficiency and complies with all the up-to-date safety requirements.
With commissioning of Unit 2 with the power of 1200 MW, the NPP completed the construction of the facility, which commenced in 2012. According to expert assessment, the NPP will cover up to 40 percent of the country’s electricity needs in electricity.
VVER-1200 is a flagship nuclear reactor and a core product of ROSATOM’s integrated solution. An NPP with four VVER-1200 reactors is being built in Egypt’s town of El Dabaa, which will become the second nuclear plant on the continent. The African continent suffers from energy shortages.
Although one in five people on Earth lives in Africa, the continent accounted for less than one trillion kWh out of the 30 trillion kWh generated on the planet last year. With the African population growing, Africans will make up a third of the world’s total population by 2050.
Nuclear power holds great promise as a clean, efficient, and reliable energy source.
From its significant contribution to curbing emissions and combating climate change to its economic viability and providing stable energy, nuclear power emerges as an important component in transition towards a sustainable and energy-efficient future.
Chairman of the Grodno Oblast Executive Committee, Vladimir Karanik, mentioned what role the nuclear plant has played in Belarus.
“Ostrovets has changed radically. It is a different district now. It was a small agricultural district in 2010, with the share of agriculture at 51 percent. The rest was trade and a bit of civil engineering. In January-September 2023 the share of the manufacturing sector was 90 percent. The district has changed its face and has changed the face of the oblast.”
Belarus NPP, with two reactors with a total capacity of 2400 MW, is located in Ostrovets.
Construction of Russian-designed nuclear power plants is also underway in Bangladesh, Hungary, Egypt, Turkey and China.
ROSATOM is the largest exporter of nuclear technologies in the world, currently the corporation is involved in serial construction of nuclear facilities in seven foreign countries.
– CAJ News