Unit 2 of the Belarus NPP will be put into commercial operation in October 2023, according to Minister of Energy Viktor Karankevich. He said during a meeting with President Alexander Lukashenko that the first trial inclusion of the unit 2 in the network is planned for April when the output of the reactor will be increased to 40%.
"In April to September, work will be carried out sequentially to develop the power of the reactor unit to the nominal level with testing as part of pilot operation. Readiness for commissioning… is projected in October 2023.” He recalled that unit 1 was put into operation in June 2021and is currently operating at rated power following its first scheduled maintenance outage in 2022.
“The total construction and technological readiness of the unit 2 is about 98%. Preparatory work is underway at the final stage to launch a chain reaction and bring the reactor unit to the minimum controlled level - this is 1% of the reactor power, " Karankevich noted.
Lukashenko stressed the importance of radiation safety and reliability of operation. "We discussed these issues for a long time at the stage of making a serious decision on the construction of the station, taking into account all world experience,” he said. “The best technologies are used here. This is the property of our people. Therefore, all issues of construction and operation of the NPP require special attention and a balanced approach." He added that unit 1 has already produced more than 12.5 TWh, replacing more than 3bn cubic metres of gas and saving more than $400m. He recalled the intense opposition to construction of the plant from neighbouring states, in particular Poland and Lithuania. “But today Poland is and Lithuania is also considering NPP construction.”
The Belarus NPP comprises two Russian supplied VVER-1200 power units. The plant was issued a permit for pilot industrial operation of unit 1 in December 2020 and was connected to the grid in March 2021 and began commercial operation in June. It was the first VVER-1200 unit to begin operation outside of Russia. Fuel loading was completed at unit 2 in December 2021.
Commercial operation of unit 2 has been delayed by several months. It was originally planned for early 2023. However, Lukashenko said this was to ensure all safety requirements were met. "I know that Russians sometimes complain that we demand high security requirements. But they must understand: we are the Chernobyl republic, we suffered from an explosion at the Chernobyl NPP. Therefore, safety is the number one priority, and we demand the most stringent safety and compliance with construction standards."
He added: "We did not hide anything and do not intend to hide that there were certain shortcomings in the construction of the NPP, which were very quickly redressed by ourselves and the Russian builders. Delaying deadlines is due to the fact that we really have very high security requirements. It’s better to delay by six months or a year than to find some shortcomings.”
Image: The Belarusian nuclear power plant (courtesy of BelTA news agency)
