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This is an archived page. Please visit the new Belarus country profileBelarus: Nuclear Power Reactors in Belarus
ONE TO THREE UNITS PLANNED Currently there are no nuclear power plants in operation or under construction in Belarus. As a result of heavy radioactive contamination from the 1986 Chornobyl accident, Belarus halted plans to build two 1000 MWe VVER reactors outside Minsk (Minsk 1 and 2).[1,2] After becoming an independent state, however, Belarus had to confront the fact that it had minimal domestic electric production capacity and therefore had to import power at market prices. Thus, in 1995, Belarus produced only 10 percent of its electricity. Approximately 75 percent of Belarus's electricity was imported from Russia, and the rest from Lithuania.[3]To reduce its dependence on foreign energy supplies Belarus reconsidered the nuclear power option. On 22 December 1992, Belarus announced its intention to build nuclear power plants and started a program to examine 15 possible sites. A 1992 National Energy Development Program report said that the first unit of 500-600 MW would be commissioned by the year 2005, and one or two additional units with a combined capacity of 1000 MW would come on-line between 2005 and 2010.[1, 4] In March 1995, Energy Minister Valentin Gerasimov stated that the first unit would be running by 2005 [3]. Progress on the nuclear power program appears to be slow. On 28 May 1996 the government of Belarus issued a decree calling for further investigation of nuclear power as a part of the country's new energy policy. There are still plans for building one to three reactors.[5] As of late 1996, however, there appears to have been no decision on reactor type, site, or financing, although work is underway in all three areas. More on nuclear power plants in Belarus. REACTOR TYPE The Institute of Power Engineering Problems IPEP will determine the type of reactor to be constructed. As of 20 March 96, it was considering CANDU, Siemens, Westinghouse, and Russian reactors. A Russian model is most likely to be chosen due to fuel-supply considerations. Other considerations include waste management storage, environmental/ecological factors, analysis of other reactor construction projects, and a comparison of Russian and Western reactor types.[4] As of October 1994, Belarus energy officials had already conducted meetings with representatives of the Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy, to discuss the advanced VVER-600 and the VVER-1000 reactors; Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, to discuss the CANDU reactor; and the U.S. General Atomics Corporation to discuss an advanced gas-cooled reactor.[1, 6]SITE In March 1996, IPEP's Director, Aleksander Mikhalevich, indicated that the Institute was considering three possible locations (down from fifteen) for NPP construction; two in the Gomel oblast and one in the Vitebsk oblast. A decision on the site will reportedly be made by the end of 1996. The site will be chosen based on IAEA guidelines, including geological, seismological, and geophysical tests.[1, 2, 7].FINANCING Consultations regarding the financing of the nuclear power plants were held with the World Bank in 1/95, and the European Union Technical Assistance to the CIS project (TACIS) in 1993.[1, 8]RELATED REPORTS A mobile 700KW nuclear reactor was developed in Belarus for the Soviet military in the 1980s.[9]
Last updated May 1997 Comments or questions? Contact Michael Jasinksi at MIIS CNS: Michael.Jasinski@miis.edu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
See also: