STRELNA, St. Petersburg (Itar-Tass) - The construction of the Belarusian nuclear power station is going full steam ahead of schedule. The station’s first unit will begin operation in 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin said after a meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State of Russia and Belarus.

“Works at the station’s construction site are going ahead of schedule. The first power unit will be launched in 2018; the second will begin operation in 2020,” Putin explained.

Russia will invest a total of 10 billion dollars in the project.