Experts have begun flushing of active and passive safety systems at unit 2 of Belarus nuclear power plant, according to ASE, the engineering division of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, which is the general designer and contractor for the project.
The equipment and pipes connected to the reactor's primary circuit are being flushed with chemically demineralised water to clean them from mechanical impurities. The operability of safety systems and normal system pump sets are also being checked.
The milestone marks the start of preparation for hydraulic tests and circulation flushing of the reactor plant primary circuit, explained Vitaly Polyanin, vice president of ASE EC, director of the Belarus NPP construction project.
Full-scale pre-commissioning work will follow.
Meanwhile, fuel loading at Belarus 1 is planned for July in preparation for its physical launch.
The Belarus nuclear power plant, which has two VVER-1200 reactors, is being built by Rosatom at Ostrovets (Grodno region). Commissioning of Ostrovets 1 is scheduled for 2020 and unit 2 in 2021.