On May 19 at 10:50, Roman Golovchenko, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus, and Alexey Likhachev, Director General of ROSATOM, started the program of reaching the design capacity for Unit 2 of Belarus NPP (its general designer and general contractor being the Rosatom State Corporation Engineering Division).
The stage of low power testing is one of the most important in the program of a nuclear facility commissioning. The program provides for a gradual increase of unit power to the rated level of 100%, with dynamic testing in various operating modes and shutdown of the main equipment, including a check of the blackout operating mode.
Commissioning is the final stage of construction of new NPP power units. At this stage, compliance of power unit systems and equipment with the design is verified. The process of commissioning consists of several consecutive phases: pre-commissioning and adjustment works, physical start-up, power start-up and pilot operation.
“The beginning of low power testing of the reactor plant of Unit 2 can be called the final straight in the implementation of the entire construction project of Belarus NPP’, noted Alexey Likhachev, Director General of ROSATOM. “The first nuclear construction in a fraternal Belarus laid the basis for further development of Russian-Belarusian interaction both in the power industry and in new areas of the Republic’s economy, including nuclear medicine and digital technologies, rising them to a completely new level”.
“This is not just a nuclear power plant and the issue of generating electricity. This is a whole block of technologies and related areas that the construction of a nuclear power plant will impact. Even after the commissioning of the station, the work continues. ROSATOM is currently working on the improvemrnt of the parameters of reactors of the current type, and other developments that are of interest to the Belarusian side”, noted Roman Golovchenko, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus.
For reference:
Belarus NPP having two VVER-1200 reactors with the total capacity of 2400 MW is located in Ostrovets (the Republic of Belarus). The Russian Gen III+ design was chosen for the first nuclear power plant in the country, which fully complies with the international standards and the safety requirements of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
ROSATOM is recognized as a global leader and the only company in the world to implement the full-scale construction of nuclear power plants abroad. 106 nuclear power facilities of the Russian design have been constructed worldwide, of which 80 are power units equipped with VVER reactors. Presently, Rosatom international order portfolio includes 34 units equipped with VVER reactors that are being delivered at various stages in 11 countries.
