Golovchenko discussed with Likhachev launch of BelNPP second power unit

Belarus’ Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko held a meeting with Director General of Rosatom Corporation Alexey Likhachev to discuss current issues related to the implementation of the project at the Belarusian nuclear power plant (BelNPP)

The PM noted with satisfaction that the implementation of the relevant Union State programme is proceeding effectively, “The final stage of its implementation was the signing in November last year on the sidelines of the Atomexpo forum in Sochi of an intergovernmental agreement on the management of spent nuclear fuel from the BelNPP. The corresponding procedure for its ratification is being carried out in our country.”

As far as the joint project on the nuclear power plant is concerned, Roman Golovchenko underlined that since the last meeting in August 2022 with Russian colleagues, there have been many positive developments in the implementation of this important project, “So, on November 9th, 2022, the first power unit was connected to the grid and works steadily at rated power, generating 4.69bn kWh last year and enabling our country to save a significant amount of natural gas. From the moment of connection into the system, this is almost 11.7bn kWh.”

The PM drew attention to the fact that the transition to work on the second power unit has now been completed, “We hope that the first connection to the grid will take place in March 2023, with access to the energy start-up stage. We are glad that everything is going according to the plan.”

The Prime Minister noted that the issues of the Belarusian NPP are of great attention in society, “We record that this is one of the important and positive informational occasions in the country, unlike critics who are abroad. Of course, the President also keeps the issue under constant control, taking a keen interest in how our work is progressing.”

In turn, Alexey Likhachev noted that the first power unit is the world’s first 3+ generation unit built using export technology.

“You said everything correctly about the first power unit. We have fulfilled all our obligations. As far as the second power unit is concerned, in fact, back in the twentieth of December last year, in accordance with your instructions, we moved to the stage of physical launch, and the fuel has been loaded. We are waiting for the appropriate decision of the regulator in order to start reaching capacity and bring the unit to technical operation.”