Minsk and Moscow continue to actively negotiate cooperation in nuclear energy. Demand for electricity is growing in Belarus, industry is developing, and the capacity of the Belarusian nuclear power plant, which was built by the state corporation "Rosatom", will soon be insufficient.
This was stated by the Ambassador of the Republic of Belarus to the Russian Federation, Alexander Rogozhnik, in an interview with the Russia-24 TV channel.
The possibility of building an additional unit or another nuclear power plant is being worked out. Today this issue is being discussed with the Russian side, it is quite complex. This is a large complex issue, and we are solving it today. There is certainly an understanding with the Russian Federation.
According to Rogozhnik, the growth of nuclear energy capacity will ensure the satisfaction of the growing demand for electricity due to "the growth in industrial production and the creation of energy-intensive consuming industries".
The Belarusian nuclear power plant, built by Rosatom in Ostrovets, is already successfully operating in Belarus. It has two VVER-1200 generation III+ reactors with a total capacity of 2400 MW. The first power unit was commissioned in 2020, the second was connected to work at the end of 2023. In total, the Belarusian nuclear power plant is expected to generate about 18.5 billion kWh per year at full capacity. According to the country's Ministry of Energy, this is about 40% of the total Belarusian electricity consumption.
The discussion of the appearance of a second Russian nuclear power plant on Belarusian territory became known in July of this year. According to Viktor Karankevich, Minister of Energy of the Republic of Belarus, a working group was created to consider all aspects of the construction of a new energy facility.
Also, in addition to the construction of a new nuclear power plant and the addition of a new power unit to the Belarusian nuclear power plant, there is a third option, which is also being dealt with in the Union State. In March 2024, it became known that Russia and Belarus are working on a project for a mobile nuclear power plant — the Soviet Pamir-630D installation may have a modern descendant.
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Russia and Belarus are working on a project for a mobile nuclear power plant
