Second Belarusian VVER-1200 nuclear unit enters commercial operation

The second unit at the Ostrovets nuclear power plant in Belarus has entered commercial operation. Since being connected to the grid, the VVER-1200 unit supplied by Russia’s Rosatom has generated 2 TWh of electricity. The plant’s two units, with a total capacity of 2400 MW, will cover around 40% of the country’s electricity consumption.

Russia’s nuclear reactor supplier Rosatom announced that the second unit at the Ostrovets nuclear power plant in Belarus successfully entered commercial operation on 1 November. Under the contract, Rosatom now assumes responsibility for operating the unit during the warranty period.

“The second VVER-1200 unit at the Belarusian nuclear power plant—the most modern and safest—has entered commercial operation. The Belarusian plant is the first overseas project to deploy our Generation III+ technology. Both new units are supplying electricity to the grid and have already demonstrated their reliability,” said Vitaly Polyanin, director of the Belarusian NPP construction project.

Construction of the two VVER-1200 units at the Ostrovets plant began in 2013 and 2014, respectively. The first unit was originally due to be completed in 2018, but entered commercial operation only in June 2021, partly because its reactor pressure vessel had to be replaced as a precaution after being dropped.

Since the second unit began supplying electricity to the grid in May, it has generated 2 TWh of electricity. The plant as a whole, with an expected service life of 80 years, is expected to produce 18.5 TWh of electricity a year and cover around 40% of the country’s electricity consumption.

Most Belarusians are pro-nuclear

Rosatom also reported that, according to the results of an opinion poll conducted in April and May 2023, 72.8% of Belarusians support the nuclear power plant construction project. In addition, 57.8% of those surveyed believe that nuclear power will improve the country’s energy situation.

“The successful and timely implementation of the plant construction project was made possible by the joint, coordinated efforts of Russian and Belarusian professionals. I am convinced that our technology in Belarus will serve as an example for many of Rosatom’s potential foreign partners. VVER-1200 units are already under construction in Bangladesh, Hungary, Egypt, Turkey and China,” Polyanin added.