Excavation of Belarusian nuclear station second power unit foundation pit begins

A solemn ceremony to start the excavation of the foundation pit for the second power-generating unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant has been held, BelTA has learned.

Taking part in this important preparatory stage of the nuclear power plant construction were Director General of the Russian state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom Mr Sergei Kiriyenko, First Vice Premier of Belarus Mr Vladimir Semashko, and Grodno Oblast Governor Mr Semyon Shapiro.

Vladimir Semashko remarked that preparatory period operations are performed on schedule, with some of them even ahead of the schedule. By 1 September 2013 everything will be prepared at the construction site of the second power unit in order to reach the concrete pouring phase. The official underlined that now the time gap between the construction of the first power unit and the second one is slightly more than six months while it used to be more than a year. The power plant will be commissioned on time, the First Vice Premier of Belarus is convinced.

Director General of the Russian state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom Mr Sergei Kiriyenko also noted the high pace of the work. He said that large changes had happened at the construction site in the nine months since the work started. “Here the most modern power plant will be built. Everything has been organized for it although negotiations on building it were not simple. However, the result is decent. Now it is necessary to think what else can be done to accelerate the pace of the work,” said Sergei Kiriyenko.

Vladimir Semashko said that up to 30% of the equipment and components, which are now shipped to build the nuclear station, are of Belarusian make. Sergei Kiriyenko remarked that quality is prioritized.

After the solemn ceremony participants of the event examined the industrial base used to build the Belarusian nuclear power plant, the administrative and housing premises, and the site where the foundation pit for the first power-generating unit is being built.

A Belarus-Russia intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in nuclear security is expected to be signed in Minsk on 1 February.

The first document relating to the preparations to build the nuclear power plant in Belarus was signed in Minsk on 28 May 2009. It was a Belarusian-Russian intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear energy. It is a framework document that stipulates the main directions of cooperation in designing, building, and operating a nuclear power plant, in delivering nuclear fuel, maintaining nuclear and radiation safety, scientific cooperation, and personnel training.

The next step was the signing of the contract agreement to build the power plant in October 2011. The document envisages the construction of two power-generating units of the Belarusian nuclear power plant. It was signed by ZAO Atomstroyexport (a company of the state corporation Rosatom) and the Nuclear Power Plant Construction Directorate (Belarus). The general contract to build the Belarusian nuclear power plant was signed by Belarus and Russia on 18 July 2012. The general contract determines obligations and responsibilities of the sides, the timeline for the project’s implementation, its approximate cost for the period till 2020, terms of payments, equipment deliveries, construction organization, acceptance of power units, and other conditions.

In November 2011 the sides inked the intergovernmental agreement on allocating a Russian state export loan to Belarus to the tune of up to $10 billion. In December 2012 Russian Vnesheconombank authorized allocating a $500 million credit line for the Belarusian Finance Ministry to make advance payments for the work to build the nuclear power plant.

Russia is ready to give Belarus up to $10 billion via a long-term state loan for up to 25 years on preferential terms. Once the nuclear station is commissioned, it will save about 5 billion cubic meters of imported natural gas, reducing the prime cost of electricity generation, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and greatly improving the energy security of the country.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant will have two power-generating units with the total capacity of up to 2,400MW (1,200MW each). It will be built at the Ostrovets site in Grodno Oblast. The design AES-2006 has been chosen for Belarus’ first nuclear power plant. The design is fully compliant with international norms and IAEA recommendations.

In line with the general contract for the nuclear station construction the first power-generating unit of the nuclear power plant is scheduled for commissioning in November 2018, with the second one scheduled for July 2020.