Preparation of a justification for the feasibility of building a second NPP in Belarus or a third unit at the existing NPP is in its final stage, Belarusian Energy Minister Denis Moroz told ONT TV channel. The first NPP with two VVER-1200 reactors was built with Russian assistance in the city of Ostrovets, Grodno region.
“The construction of the Belarusian NPP is one of the largest projects that was implemented during the period of independence of our state,” said Moroz. “And at the moment, the whole country and the country’s energy sector feel the effect of the fact that this station is operating. In general, our station allows us today to cover about 40% of the entire country’s needs for electrical energy.” However, electricity demand is growing.
“The head of state set us a serious task to prepare a feasibility study on how the energy sector should develop further. That is, will we rely on nuclear energy, or will we use some other alternative energy sources to meet the growing demand. At the moment, the feasibility study is in its final stages,” he said.
He added that experts see “completely obvious positive aspects” from the fact that the existing NPP is integrated into the Belarusian energy system. “Its most important obvious advantage is that this is not a spur of the moment decision, it is a long-term project. For example, for the Belarus NPP the service life is 60 years with a possible extension to 100 years. Understanding this, we are talking about the fact that, in general, energy should develop with a focus on nuclear,” Moroz noted.
There are different options for nuclear expansion. “We are essentially considering two fundamentally different options. One is the addition of another 1200 MWe unit at the site of the Belarus NPP. The positive aspects of such a decision are primarily related to the fact that the infrastructure for another unit has been created there. There is an alternative solution. This is the construction of a new NPP at a separate site. This decision also has its advantages, because it will enable larger generation,” the minister said.
All these options will be considered as part of the feasibility study. “In the near future it will be reported to the government, and then to the presidential level in order to make a decision.”
Kaynak:https://www.neimagazine.com/news/belarus-considers-nuclear-expansion/?cf-view
