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Russia, Belarus to sign contract for supplies of equipment for NPP this month

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

MINSK, March 21 (Itar-Tass) —— Russia and Belarus plan to sign a contract for the supply of technological equipment for the future nuclear power plant before the end of this month, Director of the Atomenergoproekt Nizhny Novgorod-based Engineering Company and Acting President of the Atomstroiexport company Valery Limarenko told a news conference on Wednesday.

In his words, the sides are drafting a contract for the supplies of the technological equipment for the nuclear power plant. “I think that the document may be signed at the end of this month,” Limarenko said, adding that the two sides are working out a contract for the pre-construction period, which will envisage appropriate engineering and excavation activities.

He also pointed to the progress in the drafting of the general contract, which is expected to be signed in the first half of the current year. In his words, the construction works will be started at the site of the future NPP already in April 2012. Limarenko pointed to the high readiness condition of the Belarusian government in the project.

“On Tuesday, we held the first working meeting of the construction staff, which will become a regular practice,” he said.

First Deputy Energy Minister of Belarus Mikhail Mikhadyuk, in turn, stated that now the project has got the legal basis for the NPP construction almost in full. “There are no obstacles for the implementation of the project,” he said.

Belarus’s first nuclear power plant will be located in the Ostrovets district of the Grodno Region. Up to date, there have been created necessary infrastructure, built a 32-kilometre-long railway stretch and a road. In addition, the construction site has a necessary base with all engineer communications and communications for the supply of energy resources.

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.

The first power unit of the NPP is planned to be commissioned in 2017, while the second – in 2018. The Belarusian NPP will be built under Rosatom’s project with the use of dual-circuit VVER reactors. This project was used in the construction of Russia’s Leningrad NPP and China’s Tianwan NPP, which named as the world’s safest one by the IAEA.

Besides, the Belarusian NPP will have its own civil defence team for the case of an emergency situation.

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.

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