Belarusian govt preparing justification for construction of second NPP or third unit at Belarusian NPP - Energy Ministry
MINSK. Dec 20 (Interfax) - Belarusian government authorities are preparing a feasibility study on the construction of a new nuclear power plant or a third power unit at the existing Belarusian nuclear power plant, Belarusian Energy Minister Viktor Karankevich said.
"Currently, issues regarding the construction of a second nuclear power plant or a third power unit are being worked out. Whatever the decision, we will work on this project. However, this is still ahead of us. Now experts and government bodies are looking into this issue and preparing supporting materials. We are looking at organizational, technical, and economic issues," Karankevich said.
In this regard, the minister noted plans to increase electricity consumption in the republic. "For 2025, we have a target of 44 billion kWh of electricity consumption [from 41 billion kWh in 2023]. By 2030, we need to reach 47 billion kWh. These forecasts are based on the development of the real sector, consumption by the public and the emergence of new areas for development," the minister said.
"When deciding on a second station or a third power unit, we must analyze not 2030 or 2035, but 2040, assessing how industry and the population will develop, and how the volumes of electricity consumption will change," he added.
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has previously stated more than once that he is a supporter of building a second nuclear power plant in the republic, but a final decision on this matter has yet to be made.
Loaned funds saved during the construction of the BelNPP could be a source of financing. "With the remaining [funds] we, in principle, can build two blocks. Therefore, the source of financing could be this, the saved money, Lukashenko said.
"Let there be a second plant. I am a supporter of this. That's why we are discussing this issue," Lukashenko said in early November.
At the same time, the president was interested in the opinion of the head of Rosatom, Alexei Likhachev, about the possibility of building a third power unit at the BelNPP.
The BelNPP is located near the city of Ostrovets, in Grodno region. It was built according to the Russian VVER-1200 design. The station consists of two power units with a capacity of 1.2 GW. The general construction contractor is the ASE Rosatom group. A $10 billion Russian government loan was raised to finance the project. The first BelNPP power unit was connected to the network in November 2020, and put into commercial operation in June 2021. The second one was connected to the network in May 2023 and put into commercial operation on November 1.
The Ministry of Energy says that, in 2023, the share of nuclear power plants in the country's total electricity generation will be 28%, and will grow to 40% in the future.