Belarus raises issue of compensation with Russia due to shifting of BelNPP commissioning dates - Lukashenko

MOSCOW. Oct 31 (Interfax) - Belarus has raised the issue of compensation with the Russian side due to the shift in the dates of commissioning of the Belarusian nuclear power plant, said Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

"The commissioning timeframes of the nuclear power plant have slightly shifted because of the Russian side. Naturally, under the contract, we raised the issue of compensation to them. There is no need to hide it. There was nothing extraordinary there. But such questions were raised due to the fact that the deadlines for commissioning of the plant were violated, and the Russian side is responsible for it," Lukashenko was cited as saying by the BelTA state news agency while accepting the report on the completion of BelNPP construction.

The Russian side offered compensation options in response, he said. "They also offered us options on the price of fresh nuclear fuel - as for Russians, as for their stations. And a warranty period of five years [for the main units]," he said.

Addressing the members of government responsible for commissioning the NPP, Lukashenko said: "It is you who will tell me today whether it satisfies the Belarusian side (we, of course, should not strain the Russians unnecessarily: we had and have enough electricity, but a contract is a contract) and whether the concessions made by the Russians, Rosatom, are sufficient for the Belarusian side."