The station has completed the construction of the power facility, which started in 2012 with the commissioning of the second power unit with a capacity of 1200 MW. According to experts, the nuclear power plant will meet 40 percent of the country’s electricity needs. “The quality is outstanding. There is no such station in the world. “The newest in every respect.” stated Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko during his visit to the nuclear power plant on November 3. With in his wordsThe completion of the Belarusian nuclear power plant by November 7 is one of the gifts given to the Belarusian people.
show everyone
The first power unit at the Belarusian nuclear power plant was commissioned in the summer of 2021. There is a nuclear power plant with two reactors in the Grodno region of Ostrovets city with a total capacity of 2400 MW. The second unit was synchronized with the grid for the first time on May 13, 2023, providing the first kilowatt-hour of electrical energy to the unified energy system of the republic, and was brought to its designed capacity on June 19. The unit has produced more than 2 billion kilowatt hours of electricity to date.
“The Belarusian NPP was the first sign of the development of our III+ generation technologies abroad. Both power units of the Belarusian nuclear power plant supply kilowatts of energy to the country’s energy system and have already proven their reliability. “The successful and timely implementation of the nuclear power plant construction project was made possible thanks to the joint and well-coordinated work of Russian and Belarusian experts.” registered Vitaly Polyanin, Vice President of Atomstroyexport, Project Director for the construction of the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant.
The construction of the station has become the most high-tech and large-scale cooperation project between the state company Rosatom and the Republic of Belarus. VVER-1200 power units of the Belarusian NPP became the first nuclear power plants of the latest generation III+ safety system built abroad using Russian technologies. There are already four power units of this type operating in Russia in the Leningrad and Voronezh regions.
The Russian project has a number of advantages that significantly increase its economic characteristics and security. Its main feature is the combination of active and passive safety systems, which ensures maximum resistance of the nuclear power plant to external and internal influences. Each power unit is equipped with a “melt trap” – a device for localizing melt in the core of a nuclear reactor, as well as other passive safety systems. In addition, the power of the reactor facility has been increased by 20% compared to a conventional nuclear power plant, the design life of the main equipment has been increased from 30 years to 60 years, and the opportunity to extend the operation for another 20 years has been provided.
“We demonstrated the serial production of the most modern, safest, most efficient power units. It is important for us to continue construction: 4 blocks in Turkey, 4 blocks in Egypt, active construction in China, India, Bangladesh and this is not a complete list of countries where we build and work” – stated Rosatom Journalist General Director Alexey Likhachev. According to him, this also provides workload to the machine-building complex of the state institution, which broke the record for the production of nuclear power plant reactors of the USSR. “In general, the nuclear industry has entered the mode of assembly on the assembly line and delivery to the global market,” summarized Alexey Likhachev.
“For Rosatom, this project is of great importance, because many states considering the development of nuclear energy with the help of Russia will be convinced that it is ready to install technically advanced stations in other states, the best solutions will be offered to foreign customers. The implementation of this project showed that Rosatom has fulfilled all its obligations, including financial obligations, which are important for foreign customers. “It is possible that the successful implementation of this project will increase interest in the company and the projects it is implementing and help attract new customers” – speaking Leading expert in Finance Management Dmitry Baranov.
For Belarus
Experts note that the commissioning of two VVER-1200 power units of the Belarusian nuclear power plant will significantly increase the country’s economic and energy security and make the country one of the world leaders in terms of the share of nuclear production in the overall energy balance. The Belarusian nuclear power plant will be able to meet approximately 40% of Belarus’ electricity needs. Currently, only five countries in the world (France, Slovakia, Hungary, Belgium and Slovenia) have a share of energy obtained from nuclear power plants in total electricity production exceeding this figure.
The inclusion of nuclear energy in the energy balance will also improve the environmental situation in the country. Thanks to the Belarusian nuclear power plant, a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of up to 10 million tons of CO2 equivalent will be achieved.
The BelNPP project brought together science and engineering schools from the two countries, dozens of enterprises and thousands of experts, contributing to the strengthening of the production, scientific and technological potential of the Union State. About 40 Belarusian and Russian organizations participated in the construction of the nuclear power plant. At the peak of the station’s construction, more than 9 thousand construction workers were employed on the site.
The construction of the nuclear power plant also gave impetus to the economic and social development of the entire region in which it is located – the Grodno region. Since the start of construction, the population of the satellite city Ostrovets has almost doubled and now stands at more than 14 thousand people; Housing, schools, kindergartens, health institutions and all the necessary social infrastructure were built here.
With words The construction of the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant Alexander Lukashenko helped, among other things, “bring life to this northwestern region.” But the most important is the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant. This is the basis for the further development of the country. “I realized that we have no chance without clean energy, we cannot develop without electricity,” the Belarusian president emphasized.
“It’s not just that more than a hundred Belarusian companies took an active part in the creation of this industrial facility.” registered Alexey Likhachev. – A new economic environment, personnel and competencies were created. The basis of the future is now more modern and more competitive. Both the president of Belarus and our partners and government say they want to continue cooperation in the field of nuclear and non-nuclear technologies. Where we can form an alliance and move forward together. We offer such solutions. In particular, the Nuclear Medicine Center, where not only research and science-related fields, but also competences in agriculture and medicine can be combined. A separate topic is the medical accelerator, which will allow the production of not only isotopes, but also radiopharmaceutical products necessary for the treatment of oncological and heart diseases. “This is a new quality of industrial development emerging in Belarus.”
“The Belarusian nuclear power plant is important for the country for many reasons. First, to provide clean electricity to the country’s economy: the operation of the station will allow the republic to reduce the use of fossil fuels, which will reduce the impact on the environment. Secondly, in conditions of external restriction, this nuclear power plant will increase the reliability of the country’s energy supply and guarantee the supply of heat and light to consumers. Thirdly, the operation of the station will improve the qualifications of the engineering and technical personnel of the republic and increase their professional level. Fourthly, the construction and operation of the station provides orders for goods and services to many local companies, which positively affects their financial situation and generates income for the republic’s budget” – explained Dmitry Baranov.
In development
Alexander Lukashenko was in a positive mood at the opening ceremony of the second unit of the nuclear power plant. He said that he discussed with Vladimir Putin the electrification of the road from Brest to Kazan and beyond, as well as the creation of infrastructure for electric transport. I spoke with Alexey Likhachev about several major joint projects in Belarus: a megafactory of storage devices, an additive technology base, a nuclear medicine center that could be launched through the Union State, and an alliance in wind energy.
“Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and the President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko set before us the task of expanding the agenda. The first thing we offer is joint work in competencies in which Rosatom already occupies a certain place in the Russian Federation. These are composites, additive technologies, digitalization, environmental projects, efforts to create wind energy parks and much more. Roadmaps have already been drawn up, joint teams are being created, and this will be the next new level in the development of not only Belarusian industry, but also cooperation between Russia and the Republic of Belarus, and a new direction in development. “Union State” – registered Alexey Likhachev.
Source: Gazeta
Ben Stock is a business analyst and writer for “Social Bites”. He offers insightful articles on the latest business news and developments, providing readers with a comprehensive understanding of the business world.