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Belarus NPP cost should not exceed funds for Kaliningrad NPP construction – Semashko

The cost of the Belarus nuclear power plant will not exceed the spending for the construction of Russia’s Baltic NPP in the Kaliningrad region

MINSK, February 17 (Itar-Tass) —— The cost of the Belarus nuclear power plant will not exceed the spending for the construction of Russia’s Baltic NPP in the Kaliningrad region, Belarusian First Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Semashko said, referring to the accords reached with Russia.

On Friday, jointly with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Semashko visited the Minsk thermal power plant No. 5 (TPP-5).

“During a meeting with [Rosatom Chairman Sergei] Kiriyenko we coordinated and signed into a protocol an extremely important matter that the cost of Belarus’ NPP should not exceed the cost of the NPP in the Kaliningrad region,” the first deputy prime minister said.

In his opinion, the spending for the Belarus NPP construction may be even smaller owing to the use of cheaper local materials, equipment and labour force. “We have a good potential to cut spending for the construction of our NPP,” Semashko said.

In his words, all the basic issues pertaining to the construction of Belarus’ first NPP have already been resolved, he said. All preparations have been complete. The NPP construction site is ready for further operations.

The NPP design contract was signed on January 31, the first deputy prime minister said, adding that Russia’s general contractor of the project, Atomstroiexport company, started the design activities, which envisage working out of documents for earthmoving operations.

“We are working to commission the NPP’s first power unit in 2017. Currently, we implement all activities in compliance with a plan envisaged by the agreements,” the first deputy prime minister said.

Belarus’s first nuclear power plant will be located in the Ostrovets district of the Grodno Region. The first power unit of the NPP is planned to be commissioned in 2017, while the second – in 2018.

Belarus plans to build its first nuclear power plant equipped with two power units with a total generating capacity of 2.4 megawatts by 2017.

According to estimates of Belarusian scientists, the NPP commissioning will make it possible to decrease electricity cost by 20 percent in the country’s power grid as a whole.