Belarusian nuclear power plant's first unit in for scheduled preventive repair in October

MINSK, 13 September (BelTA) – The first unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant will begin scheduled preventive repair in the first half of October, BelTA learned from Belarusian Energy Minister Viktor Karankevich.

The Energy Ministry press service quoted Viktor Karankevich as saying that there are plans to carry out routine operations, including the reloading of nuclear fuel into the nuclear reactor core. “Spent nuclear fuel will be put in a cooling pond, which is located in the reactor building, while fresh nuclear fuel will be inserted into the reactor. The fresh fuel has already been delivered to the nuclear power plant. It has passed incoming inspection and is in a special storage facility,” the energy minister noted. There are plans to replace about 25% of the fuel rod arrays.

Apart from that, broad diagnostics will be performed of technological systems, the reactor compartment, the machine hall, and the turbine hall. The state of metal will be inspected as well as the state of welding seams. “All the operations have been written down and standardized. Strict schedules for performing them have been put together,” Viktor Karankevich stressed.

Belarusian and Russian organizations will be involved in the scheduled preventive repair. Belarusian specialists have already gained certain experience by carrying out the relevant operations during the first scheduled preventive repair of the nuclear power plant's first unit. “We are intent on increasing the volumes and the share of work our organizations do,” Viktor Karankevich added.