Nuclear energy to account for 40% of Belarus’ energy mix

Preparation of power grid linkup for Belarusian nuclear station to begin in January-February

The work to prepare the power grid to collect the electricity the Belarusian nuclear power plant will generate will begin in January-February 2014. The information was released by Valery Porshnev, Deputy Chief Engineer of the Belarusian national electrical company Belenergo, during the online conference hosted by the BelTA website on 12 December.

“The construction of new energy sources requires the construction of systems to collect electricity. The Belarusian nuclear power plant is expected to generate 2,000MW of electricity. To collect it, 1,000km of 330kV power lines will be built. We will create the entire infrastructure the construction of the nuclear power plant requires,” he explained. “The contract to build the power collection system for the Belarusian nuclear station has been signed, our partner is a Chinese company. As far as I know, financing has already been opened. Specialists of the Belarusian power grid design enterprise Belenergosetproect are busy developing design specifications and estimates. After that the Chinese company, which has won the tender, will take care of building the power lines. The work to prepare the power grid to collect the electricity that the Belarusian nuclear power plant will generate is supposed to begin in January-February”.

In November the Ostrovets site saw the launch of concrete pouring operations to build the first power-generating unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant. The Belarusian nuclear power plant will have two power-generating units with the total capacity of up to 2,400MW (1,200MW each). The Russian design AES-2006 has been chosen to build the power plant. The design is fully compliant with international standards and IAEA recommendations. The Russian public joint-stock company OAO NIAEP – ZAO Atomstroyexport is the general designer and the general contractor for building the power plant. The timeline for implementing the project is stipulated by the general contract. The first power-engineering unit of the nuclear power plant is scheduled for launch in November 2018.

Belarus and Russia signed the general contract to build the Belarusian nuclear power plant in July 2012. The cost of building the installation is primarily covered by a state export loan granted by Russia. In line with the relevant intergovernmental agreement the loan can provide up to $10 billion for 25 years to cover 90% of the cost of every contract between the Russian company ZAO Atomstroyexport and the Belarusian state institution Directorate for Nuclear Power Plant Construction.



Belarus in close cooperation with IAEA in NPP construction

The Republic of Belarus is closely cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and not only in what concerns the construction of its first nuclear power plant (NPP), Deputy Director of the Nuclear Energy Department under the Energy Ministry of Belarus Vasily Polyukhovich told an online conference hosted by BelTA on 12 December.

“As for the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant, the Energy Ministry has a technical cooperation project with the IAEA in personnel training. The latest IAEA mission was in Belarus in June 2012. It assessed Belarus’ infrastructure in part of the country’s readiness to the construction of the nuclear power plant. According to the mission, our infrastructure is well-developed for the construction of the nuclear power plant. The mission also gave a number of recommendations and took note of some positive practices that can be recommended to other countries,” Vasily Polyukhovich said.

In his words, the IAEA will hold more missions in Belarus throughout the construction of the nuclear power plant.

The IAEA mission that worked in Belarus in June 2012 involved 14 experts from the IAEA Secretariat and the states that have an extensive experience in the field of nuclear energy. The mission worked in line with the IAEA recommendations developed for countries that plan construction of first NPPs.

The mission came to the conclusion that the country has reached the adequate level of nuclear infrastructure development across the majority of 19 points, like the NPP construction site, environmental safety of the facility, NPP integration into the Belarusian energy system, industry participation in the project.

Belarus plans to use the Russian nuclear power plant design AES-2006, which features a water-cooled power reactor VVER-1200, to build a nuclear power plant at the Ostrovets site in Grodno Oblast. The timeline for building the Belarusian nuclear power plant is specified by the general contract. The first power-generating unit is scheduled for commissioning in November 2018.




Nuclear energy to account for 40% of Belarus’ energy mix

After the commissioning of the nuclear power plant, nuclear energy will account for about 40% of Belarus’ energy mix. The statement was made by Vasily Polyukhovich, Deputy Director of the Nuclear Energy Department of the Belarusian Energy Ministry, during the online conference hosted by the BelTA website on 12 December.

“After the delivery of the Belarusian nuclear power plant, the share of gas used to generate electric energy will drop. This will balance out our energy mix. Many countries seek to avoid domination of one energy source in electric energy production and to maintain even distribution of energy sources,” he said.

Vasily Polyukhovich noted that the nuclear power plant will allow diversifying sources of energy and raise the country’s energy security, because the NPP will guarantee uninterrupted electric energy generation for at least one year. “The fuel reserves at the NPP will last for a year. One year is enough to address any issues. Besides, having its own NPP, the country will not so much depend on price fluctuations on the energy market,” he said.

In November the Ostrovets site saw the launch of concrete pouring operations to build the first power-generating unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant. The Belarusian nuclear power plant will have two power-generating units with the total capacity of up to 2,400MW (1,200MW each). The Russian design AES-2006 has been chosen to build the power plant. The design is fully compliant with international standards and IAEA recommendations. The Russian public joint-stock company OAO NIAEP – ZAO Atomstroyexport is the general designer and the general contractor for building the power plant. The timeline for implementing the project is stipulated by the general contract. The first power-engineering unit of the nuclear power plant is scheduled for launch in November 2018.

Belarus and Russia signed the general contract to build the Belarusian nuclear power plant in July 2012. The cost of building the installation is primarily covered by a state export loan granted by Russia. In line with the relevant intergovernmental agreement the loan can provide up to $10 billion for 25 years to cover 90% of the cost of every contract between the Russian company ZAO Atomstroyexport and the Belarusian state institution Directorate for Nuclear Power Plant Construction.



Reactor for Belarusian nuclear station in production

The work to make a reactor for the Belarusian nuclear power plant has begun, said Vasily Polyukhovich, Deputy Director of the Nuclear Energy Department of the Belarusian Energy Ministry during the online conference hosted by the BelTA website on 12 December.

“I would like to note that it takes several years to make a nuclear power plant reactor. As far as the production of one reactor for the Belarusian nuclear power plant is concerned, the work has already begun. Several intermediate products have been made for the shell of the reactor at the Kramatorsk-based factory. The intermediates have been accepted by the manufacturer as well as representatives of the customer and the general contractor. The production of several shell rings will last till mid-2014. After that the Volgodonsk-based branch of AEM Technologies will start making the reactor shell,” explained the official.

A nuclear power plant reactor is quite large, therefore, just like the core catcher it will be delivered by river from Volgodonsk via the Dnepr River and the Berezina River, he added.

BelTA reported earlier that the company Energomashspetsstal, which is part of Atomenergomash, the mechanical engineering division of the Russian state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom, has shipped the first intermediate products of the reactor shell in addition to the reflection shield for the first power-generating unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant. The intermediate shell ring for the lower pipe zone weighs 71.23 tonnes. Two intermediate rings of the reflection shield weigh 22.1 tonnes each. Energomashspetsstal has shipped them to the Volgodonsk-based branch of AEM Technologies. A week before the products were shipped, Energomashspetsstal had welcomed an acceptance inspection conducted by representatives of the Nuclear Power Plant Construction Directorate (Ostrovets, Belarus) and the companies AEM Technologies, Atomstroyexport, and Zarubezhatomenergostroy.

These intermediates heralded the manufacturing of the reactor shell for the Belarusian nuclear power plant. The acceptance inspection was organized at the top level, the intermediates for the nuclear power plant match their designed parameters, stressed Sergei Gorin, Deputy Head of the Reactor Division of the Nuclear Power Plant Construction Directorate.

Energomashspetsstal will make a total of 12 intermediates for the first power-generating unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant. Their manufacturing cycle is supposed to be completed in Q1 2014.

The Kramatorsk-based company Energomashspetsstal is Ukraine’s largest manufacturer of custom-made and small-series special cast and forged products for the metallurgy industry, shipbuilding, power engineering industry (wind, steam, hydro, and nuclear types) and for general mechanical engineering. The company operates cutting-edge metallurgical and machining equipment and is capable of performing all the production operations from generating marketing and technical ideas to implementing them as ready-made products. Energomashspetsstal’s trademark is known in over 50 countries.

OAO Atomenergomash is a leading power machines manufacturer of Russia and is the mechanical engineering division of the Russian state corporation Rosatom in charge of making machines for the power industry. Atomenergomash provides effective comprehensive solutions for nuclear power industry, heat power industry, gas, oil, and chemical industries. The company comprises about 30 major manufacturing, research, and engineering enterprises in Russia and other countries.

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 Russian design AES-2006 has been chosen to build the power plant. The design is fully compliant with international standards and IAEA recommendations. The first power-engineering unit of the nuclear power plant is scheduled for launch in 2018.



Private investors free to partake in nuclear station construction in Belarus

The Belarus legislation does not forbid private investors to take part in the construction of a nuclear power plant. The statement was made by Vasily Polyukhovich, Deputy Director of the Nuclear Energy Department of the Belarusian Energy Ministry, during the online conference hosted by the BelTA website on 12 December.

In his words, nuclear station facilities and facilities required for the operation of a nuclear power plant are not listed by the legislation as objects that can be owned by the state only.

“It means that private investors may be involved in the construction of a nuclear power plant. The legislation does not forbid it,” stressed Vasily Polyukhovich.

In November the Ostrovets site saw the launch of concrete pouring operations to build the first power-generating unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant. The Belarusian nuclear power plant will have two power-generating units with the total capacity of up to 2,400MW (1,200MW each). The Russian design AES-2006 has been chosen to build the power plant. The design is fully compliant with international standards and IAEA recommendations. The Russian public joint-stock company OAO NIAEP – ZAO Atomstroyexport is the general designer and the general contractor for building the power plant. The timeline for implementing the project is stipulated by the general contract. The first power-engineering unit of the nuclear power plant is scheduled for launch in November 2018.

Belarus and Russia signed the general contract to build the Belarusian nuclear power plant in July 2012. The cost of building the installation is primarily covered by a state export loan granted by Russia. In line with the relevant intergovernmental agreement the loan can provide up to $10 billion for 25 years to cover 90% of the cost of every contract between the Russian company ZAO Atomstroyexport and the Belarusian state institution Directorate for Nuclear Power Plant Construction.


Measures in pipeline to steady Belarusian power grid after nuclear station’s launch

A suite of measures is being developed in Belarus to secure a reserve margin that will be needed for the steady operation of the national power grid after the first power-generating unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant is commissioned in 2018. The information was released by Valery Porshnev, Deputy Chief Engineer of the Belarusian national electrical company Belenergo, during the online conference hosted by the BelTA website on 12 December to discuss better conditions of getting electricity and the development of the energy infrastructure in Belarus.

In his words, the ongoing projects to modernize existing cogeneration power plants and state district power plants take into account the operation mode that Belarusian power-generating facilities will use after 2018. “We are preparing our generating facilities to work alongside the nuclear power plant in its nominal mode. The ongoing modernization of power-generating facilities, primarily the installation of short-response gas-vapor units and gas units will allow responding to changes of the situation promptly,” explained Valery Porshnev.

The official remarked that taking into account peculiarities of the nuclear power plant’s operation several schemes to manage energy resources are suggested for the sake of securing the reserve margin. One of them is using units with short response times. “If necessary, the short-response units that we will have will allow compensating for the suspended operation of nuclear power plant units during planned repairs. It is but one of the measures. In other words, we are working on an effective solution to the problem,” he said.

Experts say that tuning the output of a nuclear power plant during its operation is next to impossible because power-generating units produce 100% output while the fuel lasts. Therefore, during the highest and lowest power consumption periods the entire power grid is used if necessary to decrease or increase electricity generation by sources less effective than a nuclear power plant. In several countries hydropower plants are used for that, a cascade of such power plants is under construction in Belarus.

Construction workers started pouring concrete into the foundation of facilities that will make up the first power-generating unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant at the Ostrovets site in November. The Belarusian nuclear power plant will boast two power-generating units with the total capacity of up to 2,400MW (1,200MW each). The Russian design AES-2006 has been chosen to build the power plant. The design is fully compliant with international standards and IAEA recommendations. The Russian public joint-stock company OAO NIAEP – ZAO Atomstroyexport is the general designer and the general contractor for building the power plant. The timeline for implementing the project is stipulated by the general contract. The first power-engineering unit of the nuclear power plant is scheduled for launch in November 2018.

Belarus and Russia signed the general contract to build the Belarusian nuclear power plant in July 2012. The cost of building the installation is primarily covered by a state export loan granted by Russia. In line with the relevant intergovernmental agreement the loan can provide up to $10 billion for 25 years to cover 90% of the cost of every contract between the Russian company ZAO Atomstroyexport and the Belarusian state institution Directorate for Nuclear Power Plant Construction.


Belarus does not rule out exporting electricity from its NPP

Belarus does not rule out selling electricity from its NPP to the neighboring countries, given there is mutual interest, Valery Porshnev, deputy chief engineer at Belenergo, said during the online conference hosted by the BelTA website on 12 December.

“We operate in the single energy complex. The capabilities and equipment existing in Belarus allow for that. Today we have reciprocal electricity cross-flows with Ukraine, Russia, and Lithuania. It all depends on the sale/purchase contracts between the countries. To date, all necessary electricity cross-flows are ensured. If, for example, Lithuania wants to buy electricity from us, then there is no problem,” said Valery Porshnev.

With regard to the purchase and sale of electricity after the nuclear power plant is commissioned, it is a question of the market and the prices in the region, he added. "This is the job of economists to calculate how much to sell and to whom. If our price is competitive, we will sell electricity to the neighboring countries. Of course, if it is profitable for us,” said Valery Porshnev.

In November the Ostrovets site saw the launch of concrete pouring operations to build the first power-generating unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant. The Belarusian nuclear power plant will have two power-generating units with the total capacity of up to 2,400MW (1,200MW each). The Russian design AES-2006 has been chosen to build the power plant. The design is fully compliant with international standards and IAEA recommendations. The Russian public joint-stock company OAO NIAEP – ZAO Atomstroyexport is the general designer and the general contractor for building the power plant. The timeline for implementing the project is stipulated by the general contract. The first power-engineering unit of the nuclear power plant is scheduled for launch in November 2018.

Belarus and Russia signed the general contract to build the Belarusian nuclear power plant in July 2012. The cost of building the installation is primarily covered by a state export loan granted by Russia. In line with the relevant intergovernmental agreement the loan can provide up to $10 billion for 25 years to cover 90% of the cost of every contract between the Russian company ZAO Atomstroyexport and the Belarusian state institution Directorate for Nuclear Power Plant Construction.