Lukashenko asks Rosatom about prospects for constructing third power unit at BelNPP
MINSK. Nov 3 (Interfax) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who is visiting the site of the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant (BelNPP) on Friday, asked Rosatom state nuclear energy corporation CEO Alexei Likhachev about the possibility of constructing a third power unit at the NPP.
"Where would you put the third block if you suddenly had to do so? [...]," Lukashenko asked Likhachev, as quoted from the Telegram channel of Pul Pervogo, which is close to the press service of the Belarusian president.
The report notes that Lukashenko told Likhachev, "I would not like to let you leave Belarus". The Belarusian president also mentioned his telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on November 1. "There has been much talk about electrification," the report notes.
"We don't want to leave," Likhachev said, as quoted by the BelTA Belarusian state news agency.
Likhachev noted the accommodating and fruitful work at the site together with the Belarusian specialists, and he invited the Belarusian side to join Rosatom's foreign construction projects.
During the visit to the station site, Likhachev gave Lukashenko a symbolic passport of the Belarusian NPP, which indicates the readiness of the facility. "The service life is 60 years and up. We expect that it will work up to 100," Likhachev said.
If there is a need to build another power unit at the BelNPP, then there will be no problem doing so, Likhachev said. The head of Rosatom believes that there is an opportunity to develop the existing nuclear power plant site.
"We actually view the energy system as, if not unified, then in many ways very complementary between Russia and Belarus. In this sense, it is necessary for our energy ministries and our governments to develop a plan," he said.
Lukashenko, in a conversation with Likhachev during a visit to the BelNPP, said that he discussed with Putin the electrification of the road from Brest to Kazan and further on, the creation of the infrastructure for electric transport.
Earlier it was reported that on November 1, the acceptance committee signed the acceptance certificate for commercial operation of the second power unit of the Belarusian NPP. The power unit has now been put into commercial operation.
The unit is currently operating at its rated power. Since its inclusion in the unified energy system (May 2023), more than 2 billion kWh of electricity has been generated, the Ministry of Energy of Belarus said.
On Tuesday, a report on the completion of the Belarusian nuclear power plant was presented to Lukashenko.