BelNPP's No. 2 power unit to go offline to undergo first scheduled preventative maintenance on July 26 - Belarusian Energy Ministry

MINSK. July 23 (Interfax) - The No. 2 power unit at the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant (BelNPP) will go offline on July 26 in order to undergo the first scheduled preventative maintenance, the country's Energy Ministry said.

"An important part of the upcoming maintenance is replacing spent nuclear fuel with fresh fuel. Around 25% of the fuel assemblies with nuclear fuel will be reloaded into the reactor's active zone. It [the fuel] has been delivered to the station and has passed the incoming inspection," the ministry's press service said.

As specified, Belarusian and Russian organizations will participate in the scheduled repairs.

The Energy Ministry said that each NPP power unit undergoes scheduled repairs annually in order to check that the reliability of equipment and the process systems are in accordance with international standards and practice. Therefore, detailed diagnostics are conducted, including extended inspection of the metal and welded joints of the reactor and turbine compartment equipment.