Hałoŭčanka urges Rosatom to complete nuclear power plant’s unit soon

August 30, BPN. Belarusian Prime Minister Raman Hałoŭčanka has told Rosatom CEO Aleksey Likhachev that the construction of the Astraviec Nuclear Power Plant’s second power unit should be completed in a short time, in compliance with all safety measures.

“It is necessary to complete its construction in a short time, with unconditional observance of the axioms of the plant’s safety and reliability at all times during its operation,” he told Likhachev in Minsk on August 30, as quoted by the Belarusian government’s press office.

Hałoŭčanka noted that a special task force considers economic feasibility of building even more power units.

Designed as a two-unit nuclear power plant with VVER-1200 reactors, the Astraviec NPP is being built by Rosatom’s engineering division, mainly at the expense of a Russian loan. The first unit was put into commercial operation on June 10, 2021. The second unit was expected to follow by summer 2022, but on April 26 Likhachev told the Russian Federation Council that its commercial use would hopefully begin by the end of the year.