Business news

OSTROVETS, 17 February (BelTA) – The equivalent of about $445 million will be spent on contracts with the Russian side in 2016 as part of the project to build the Belarusian nuclear power plant. The information was released as a team of Belarusian and foreign reporters visited the construction site of the Belarusian nuclear power plant near Ostrovets on 17 February, BelTA has learned.

In 2016 the construction of primary buildings and structures of both power-generating units will be continued. Plans have been made to start the main vital operations to build the first power-generating units. The number includes the installation of the reactor vessel, steam generators, a turbine-generator set, and electric technology equipment.

In 2016 about 42,000 tonnes of reinforcement bars and structures will be installed, about 235,000m3 of concrete will be poured, and a boiler house will be commissioned to provide heating during the construction period, the launch period, and during emergencies. Plans have been made to commission the installations to feed power for proprietary needs of the nuclear power plant. A facility to supply technical water to the power plant will be commissioned. These operations will enable startup and commissioning of the equipment, which is being installed.

Power lines to feed electricity from the nuclear power plant to the national power grid will be built in line with the schedule. The training of personnel to man the nuclear power plant will be continued together with the general contractor.

Plans have been made to commission 12 residential buildings in Ostrovets with the total area of 49,500m2 for construction workers and specialists of the Belarusian nuclear power plant.

For the sake of implementing the Belarusian nuclear power plant construction project intergovernmental agreements have been signed with the Russian side. The number includes agreements on cooperation in peaceful uses of atomic energy, cooperation in the construction of the nuclear power plant, cooperation in nuclear security matters, and an agreement on the state export loan to the tune of up to $10 billion for the sake of financing up to 90% of the value of the contracts required to build the nuclear power plant.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant is a project to build an AES-2006 type nuclear power plant 18km away from Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast. The BelNPP will have two power-generating units with the total output capacity of up to 2,400MW (2x1,200MW). In line with the general contract for building the nuclear power plant the first power-generating unit is scheduled for commissioning in 2018, with the second one to go online in 2020.

The mass media tour to the construction site of the Belarusian nuclear power plant has been organized upon the initiative of the Belarusian Energy Ministry.