The plant became the first fully commissioned foreign project of Rosatom with the newest Generation III+ VVER-1200 reactors
Belarus NPP Unit 2 (the general designer and general contractor is Rosatom State Corporation Engineering Division) is put into commercial operation. On November 1, 2023, the acceptance committee signed a certificate of commissioning of the unit's startup complex. According to the contractual obligations, from that moment on, Rosatom assumes responsibility for the performance of the unit's equipment during the warranty period.
On May 13, 2023, the unit was first synchronized with the grid and delivered the first kilowatt-hours of electricity to the unified energy system of the Republic of Belarus, and on June 19 it was brought to its design capacity. To date, the unit has generated more than 2.0 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. Two power units of Belarus NPP (total capacity of the plant is 2,400 MW) will be able to meet about 40% of the power needs of the Republic of Belarus. This will make the country one of the world leaders in terms of the share of nuclear generation in the total energy balance.
"The second VVER-1200 power unit of Belarus NPP, the most advanced and safe one, has been put into commercial operation. Belarus NPP has become the first fruit of development of our Generation III+ technologies abroad. Both power units of Belarus NPP are delivering kilowatts of energy to the country's grid and have already proved their reliability. Successful and timely implementation of the NPP construction project became possible due to the joint and coordinated work of Russian and Belorussian professionals. I am confident that our NPP in Belarus will become an example for many potential foreign partners of Rosatom. Today the construction of VVER-1200 power units is already underway in Bangladesh, Hungary, Egypt, Turkey, and China," said Vitaly Polyanin, Vice President of ASE JSC – Director of the Belarus NPP Construction Project.
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According to the results of an opinion poll conducted in April-May 2023 by the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences, the majority of Belorussians support the NPP construction project – 72.8% of all respondents expressed a positive attitude to the construction of a nuclear power plant, and 57.8% are confident that the situation in the fuel and energy complex of the country will improve.
Belarus NPP with two reactors with a total capacity of 2,400 MW is located in Ostrovets (Republic of Belarus). The flagship VVER-1200 reactors are the "heart" of the NPP. VVER-1200 technology has already proven its efficiency and reliability in the operation of reference power units in Russia. Units based on VVER 1200 reactors belong to Generation 3+ and meet all post-Fukushima safety requirements: they combine active and passive protection systems that make an NPP as resistant as possible to external and internal impacts. Six power units based on such reactors are currently in operation – four in Russia and two in the Republic of Belarus. Active construction of Russian design nuclear power plants is also underway in Bangladesh, Hungary, Egypt, Turkey, and China.