The electricity the Belarusian nuclear power plant will generate will
be fully consumed by the domestic market, BelTA learned from Belarusian
Deputy Energy Minister Vadim Zakrevsky.
The official noted that Belarus does not have sufficient fuel and
energy resources of its own. It is necessary to develop nuclear energy
industry primarily to reduce the cost of electricity generation and to
diversify the fuels used to generate electricity.
When the decision to build the nuclear power plant near Ostrovets was
made, electricity export was not the main goal. “Electricity generated
by the Belarusian nuclear power plant is intended for domestic
consumption. It will be fully used inside the country. The nuclear power
plant in Ostrovets is being built in order to bolster energy security
and improve the overall competitive ability of our economy,” noted Vadim
Zakrevsky.
In the course of implementation of government programs on developing
the Belarusian power grid concerted efforts were exercised to modernize
the existing power-generating facilities and build new ones using
contemporary energy-effective technologies. Renewable energy industry is
actively developing, including locally available energy resources. An
energy saving program is in progress. Taking into account the potential
of the Belarusian power grid Belarus may sell electricity to neighboring
countries in the future.
The Belarusian nuclear power plant is built using the AES-2006
nuclear power plant design that features VVER-1200 type reactors. The
construction site is located 18km away from Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast.
The power plant will have two power-generating units with the total
output capacity of up to 2,400MW (2x1,200MW). The first unit is
scheduled for commissioning in 2019, with the second one to go online in
2020.
Written by belta.by