Plans to double power grid reconstruction efforts in Belarus by 2025

MINSK, 20 April (BelTA) – The volume of power grid reconstruction work in Belarus is supposed to be doubled by 2025. Belarusian Energy Minister Viktor Karankevich mentioned it as he met with OAO Belenergoremnaladka employees, BelTA has learned.

Viktor Karankevich said: “This year it is necessary to increase the volume of power grid reconstruction by 1.4 times in comparison with 2022. The volume of power grid modernization will have to double by 2025.” It will allow satisfying the nation's growing demand for electricity used for heating and hot water supply.

The total length of power grid cables in Belarus exceeds 280,000km. Distribution power lines represent about 200,000km of the total. They are constantly getting reconstructed and new ones are being built. The last five years saw about 9,400km of power transmission lines built and modernized. “However, we cannot satisfy the nation's demand in one go. Belarusian power grids were built to accommodate certain loads per household in the past. The power grid was not designed with electric heating in mind. But the system was reformatted fast. Work to modernize the power grid infrastructure proceeds stage by stage within the framework of long-range plans on power grid modernization,” the energy minister noted. Close attention is paid to power grid modernization in rural areas where 5,700km of power transmission lines is supposed to be reconstructed over the course of five years.

Viktor Karankevich stressed: “Long-term reconstruction plans primarily focus on the power grid parts with the highest deterioration rate.” In his words, the standard service life of power grids is 33 years.

Among the key tasks facing Belarusian power engineering enterprises in 2023 Viktor Karankevich mentioned the commissioning of the second unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant, the completion of the measures meant to integrate it into the national energy system, including the construction of peaking and backup power sources with the total output capacity of 800MW.

Since the first unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant was connected to the national power grid (3 November 2020), over 13.7 billion kWh of electricity has been generated. It allowed substituting 3.6 billion m3 of natural gas.