Belarusian NPP
Encyclopedia
The Belarusian nuclear power plant project is a project to construct a nuclear power plant
in Belarus
. Initial plans for a nuclear power plant were announced in the 1980s, but were suspended after the Chernobyl accident
. The drive for the current project was fueled by the Russia-Belarus energy dispute
in 2007.
The project foresees construction of two nuclear reactors between 2016 and 2020, and probably two more reactors by 2025. The reactors would be supplied by Atomstroyexport
and the plant would be located in the Astravets district, Hrodna voblast
.
The project has faced opposition on both safety and political grounds because Belarus has never before built a nuclear power plant
.
, some 50 Kilometers south of the vicinity of Minsk
. Following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, these plans were halted. The plant was to comprise two VVER-1000
nuclear reactors, designed to provide both electricity and heat for the city of Minsk
. The reactors would each have had a power rating of 900 MW net and 940 MW gross capacity. The plans for both reactors were cancelled.
The nuclear initiative was revitalized after Belarus gained independence from the Soviet Union
. On 22 December 1992, Belarus announced its intention to build nuclear power plants and started a program to examine 15 possible sites. It was foreseen that the first unit of 500-600 MW would be commissioned by 2005, and additional units with a combined capacity of 1,000 MW by 2005 and 2010. However, no decision concerning site or reactor type was made. In 1999, the Government of Belarus adopted nuclear moratorium.
On 2 May 2002, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko
stated that Belarus would not construct a nuclear power plant on its territory, but was interested in purchasing nuclear power from Russia
, and in the possibility of constructing a Belarus-owned reactor at the Smolensk nuclear power plant
in Russia. However, in mid 2006, the Government of Belarus
approved a plan for the construction of an initial 2000 MWe nuclear power plant in the Mahilyow Voblast
using pressurized water reactor
s technology.
After the Russia-Belarus energy dispute
in 2007, Lukashenko re-declared that to ensure national energy security, Belarus needed to build its own nuclear power plant. The Belarusian Security Council made the decision to construct a nuclear power plant on 15 January 2008. According to the presidential decree signed in January 2008, the first reactor of the nuclear power plant should be operational by 2016, and the second one by 2018. The Nuclear Power Act, covering the design and construction of nuclear facilities, the security, safety, and physical protection of such facilities, and their regulation (and also prohibiting the production of nuclear weapons and other nuclear explosive
s), was adopted by the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus on 25 June 2008.
In June 2007, Russia offered a US$2 billion credit line for the purchasing of equipment from Russia's Power Machines Company. In January 2009, it was decided that the nuclear power plant will be built by Atomstroyexpoert and the Russian loan was agreed in February 2009.
On 27 February 2008, Iran
announced that it is ready to provide assistance to Belarus in the construction and operation of a nuclear power plant in areas such as funding, personnel training, the sharing of experience, the installation of equipment, and training in operating such equipment.
On 1 July 2009, a Ukrainian
NGO sent a complaint to the Implementation Committee of the Espoo Convention alleging numerous violations of the Espoo Convention. In particular, the complaint argues that Belarus is in violation of the requirements of the Convention by pre-defining two key alternatives of the nuclear power plant construction – location and no-action alternative, as well as by not establishing an environmental impact assessment procedure that permits public participation. In December 2009 European ECO Forum Legal Focal Points submitted a complaint to the Compliance Committee of the Aarhus Convention challenging legality of NPP construction due to violation of public participation rights provided by the Aarhus Convention.
On 22 January 2011 the news was released that the contract for the Belarusian NPP will be signed in the first quarter of 2011 with Rosatom.
, 45 kilometres (28 mi) from Vilnius
, Lithuania. Alternative sites were Chyrvonaya Palyana near Bykhaw in Mahilyow Voblast, and Kukshynava between Horki
and Shkloŭ in Mahilyow Voblast.
The nuclear power plant is expected to cost up to US$5 billion. In addition, there are investments to upgrade the national power grid for power transmission from the nuclear power plant, and the construction of an urban settlement for the power plant's workers.
Scientific support for the project is provided by the United Power & Nuclear Research Institute Sosny of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus
. Belnipienergoprom, a state-owned company, is the general designer of the plant and operates as the project management company, negotiating and signing contracts with suppliers, carrying out feasibility studies and preparing tender documents. Yelena Mironova is the Head of the project management service.
have campaigned against possible Russian involvement in the construction of the plant and urged the Belarusian government to award the contract to build the nuclear power plant to a company based in a country other than Russia. A group of Belarusian scientists have decided to found a movement for a nuclear-free Belarus, claiming that the Belarusian government adopted a moratorium for construction of nuclear power plants in 1999, which expires only on 14 January 2009.
However, if this is true, the moratorium has now (as of March 2011) long since expired.
Nuclear power plant
A nuclear power plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is one or more nuclear reactors. As in a conventional thermal power station the heat is used to generate steam which drives a steam turbine connected to a generator which produces electricity.Nuclear power plants are usually...
in Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
. Initial plans for a nuclear power plant were announced in the 1980s, but were suspended after the Chernobyl accident
Chernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine , which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities in Moscow...
. The drive for the current project was fueled by the Russia-Belarus energy dispute
Russia-Belarus energy dispute
The Russia–Belarus energy dispute began when Russian state-owned gas supplier Gazprom demanded an increase in gas prices paid by Belarus, a country which has been closely allied with Moscow and forms a loose union state with Russia...
in 2007.
The project foresees construction of two nuclear reactors between 2016 and 2020, and probably two more reactors by 2025. The reactors would be supplied by Atomstroyexport
Atomstroyexport
Atomstroyexport is the Russian Federation's nuclear power equipment and service export monopoly. It belongs to Atomenergoprom holding with 49.8% of shares owned by Gazprombank...
and the plant would be located in the Astravets district, Hrodna voblast
Hrodna Voblast
Hrodna Voblast or Grodno Oblast is a voblast in northwestern Belarus.The capital - Grodno is the biggest city of the province. It lies on the Neman River. Grodno's existence is attested to from 1127. Two castles dating from the 14th - 18th centuries are located here on the steep right bank of...
.
The project has faced opposition on both safety and political grounds because Belarus has never before built a nuclear power plant
Nuclear power plant
A nuclear power plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is one or more nuclear reactors. As in a conventional thermal power station the heat is used to generate steam which drives a steam turbine connected to a generator which produces electricity.Nuclear power plants are usually...
.
History
In the 1980s there were plans to build a nuclear heating and power plant in RudenskRudensk
Rudensk is a municipality and urban-type settlement in Belarus, located in the Minsk Region. It is part of the Pukhavichy Raion and its population, as of 2010, was of 2,800-Geography:...
, some 50 Kilometers south of the vicinity of Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
. Following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, these plans were halted. The plant was to comprise two VVER-1000
VVER
The VVER, or WWER, is a series of pressurised water reactors originally developed by the Soviet Union, and now Russia, by OKB Gidropress. Power output ranges from 440 MWe to 1200 MWe with the latest Russian development of the design...
nuclear reactors, designed to provide both electricity and heat for the city of Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
. The reactors would each have had a power rating of 900 MW net and 940 MW gross capacity. The plans for both reactors were cancelled.
The nuclear initiative was revitalized after Belarus gained independence from the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. On 22 December 1992, Belarus announced its intention to build nuclear power plants and started a program to examine 15 possible sites. It was foreseen that the first unit of 500-600 MW would be commissioned by 2005, and additional units with a combined capacity of 1,000 MW by 2005 and 2010. However, no decision concerning site or reactor type was made. In 1999, the Government of Belarus adopted nuclear moratorium.
On 2 May 2002, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko has been serving as the President of Belarus since 20 July 1994. Before his career as a politician, Lukashenko worked as director of a state-owned agricultural farm. Under Lukashenko's rule, Belarus has come to be viewed as a state whose conduct is out of line...
stated that Belarus would not construct a nuclear power plant on its territory, but was interested in purchasing nuclear power from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, and in the possibility of constructing a Belarus-owned reactor at the Smolensk nuclear power plant
Smolensk nuclear power plant
Nuclear power station Smolensk is a nuclear power station in Russia. It is located in the Smolensk region, in Desnogorsk province, approximately 100 km from Smolensk, 120 km from Bryansk and 320 km from Moscow...
in Russia. However, in mid 2006, the Government of Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
approved a plan for the construction of an initial 2000 MWe nuclear power plant in the Mahilyow Voblast
Mahilyow Voblast
Mahilyow Voblasts or Mogilyov Oblast is a province of Belarus with its administrative center being Mogilyov ....
using pressurized water reactor
Pressurized water reactor
Pressurized water reactors constitute a large majority of all western nuclear power plants and are one of three types of light water reactor , the other types being boiling water reactors and supercritical water reactors...
s technology.
After the Russia-Belarus energy dispute
Russia-Belarus energy dispute
The Russia–Belarus energy dispute began when Russian state-owned gas supplier Gazprom demanded an increase in gas prices paid by Belarus, a country which has been closely allied with Moscow and forms a loose union state with Russia...
in 2007, Lukashenko re-declared that to ensure national energy security, Belarus needed to build its own nuclear power plant. The Belarusian Security Council made the decision to construct a nuclear power plant on 15 January 2008. According to the presidential decree signed in January 2008, the first reactor of the nuclear power plant should be operational by 2016, and the second one by 2018. The Nuclear Power Act, covering the design and construction of nuclear facilities, the security, safety, and physical protection of such facilities, and their regulation (and also prohibiting the production of nuclear weapons and other nuclear explosive
Nuclear explosive
A nuclear explosive is an explosive device that derives its energy from nuclear reactions. Almost all nuclear explosive devices that have been designed and produced are nuclear weapons intended for warfare....
s), was adopted by the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus on 25 June 2008.
In June 2007, Russia offered a US$2 billion credit line for the purchasing of equipment from Russia's Power Machines Company. In January 2009, it was decided that the nuclear power plant will be built by Atomstroyexpoert and the Russian loan was agreed in February 2009.
On 27 February 2008, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
announced that it is ready to provide assistance to Belarus in the construction and operation of a nuclear power plant in areas such as funding, personnel training, the sharing of experience, the installation of equipment, and training in operating such equipment.
On 1 July 2009, a Ukrainian
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
NGO sent a complaint to the Implementation Committee of the Espoo Convention alleging numerous violations of the Espoo Convention. In particular, the complaint argues that Belarus is in violation of the requirements of the Convention by pre-defining two key alternatives of the nuclear power plant construction – location and no-action alternative, as well as by not establishing an environmental impact assessment procedure that permits public participation. In December 2009 European ECO Forum Legal Focal Points submitted a complaint to the Compliance Committee of the Aarhus Convention challenging legality of NPP construction due to violation of public participation rights provided by the Aarhus Convention.
On 22 January 2011 the news was released that the contract for the Belarusian NPP will be signed in the first quarter of 2011 with Rosatom.
Location
The location of the construction site was defined in early 2009. The nuclear power plant will be built at the Astravets site in Hrodna VoblastHrodna Voblast
Hrodna Voblast or Grodno Oblast is a voblast in northwestern Belarus.The capital - Grodno is the biggest city of the province. It lies on the Neman River. Grodno's existence is attested to from 1127. Two castles dating from the 14th - 18th centuries are located here on the steep right bank of...
, 45 kilometres (28 mi) from Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
, Lithuania. Alternative sites were Chyrvonaya Palyana near Bykhaw in Mahilyow Voblast, and Kukshynava between Horki
Horki
Horki is a city in the Mahiloŭ Province of Belarus, an administrative center of the Horki district. Horki district is situated in the North-East part of Mahiloŭ province. It was formed on 17 July 1924. It occupies 1284 km² and its population is about 52.6 thousand of people. The district is...
and Shkloŭ in Mahilyow Voblast.
Technical features
Russian Atomstroyexport will act as the contractor to build the nuclear power plant. Atomstroyexport would also supply the III generation VVER-1200 type reactors ("AES-2006" project). The first reactor of the nuclear power plant is expected to be operational by 2016-17, and the second one by 2018-2020. The first two reactors will have the combined capacity of around 2400 MW. It is possible that two additional reactors will be built by 2025.The nuclear power plant is expected to cost up to US$5 billion. In addition, there are investments to upgrade the national power grid for power transmission from the nuclear power plant, and the construction of an urban settlement for the power plant's workers.
Organization
On 12 November 2007, a decree defining the organizations responsible for preparing the construction of the nuclear power plant was signed. In accordance with the decree, a Directorate for the Construction of a Nuclear Power Plant was established under the Ministry of Energy. This directorate oversees the preparation, design and exploration works. The Nuclear and Radiation Safety Department, part of the Emergencies Ministry, is acting as the state nuclear regulator and licensing authority.Scientific support for the project is provided by the United Power & Nuclear Research Institute Sosny of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus
National Academy of Sciences of Belarus
The National Academy of Sciences of Belarus is the national academy of Belarus.-History:...
. Belnipienergoprom, a state-owned company, is the general designer of the plant and operates as the project management company, negotiating and signing contracts with suppliers, carrying out feasibility studies and preparing tender documents. Yelena Mironova is the Head of the project management service.
Controversy
The nuclear power plant plans have raised several concerns. Civil society groups have campaigned and collected signatures against the construction of a nuclear power plant in Belarus. Young members of the Belarusian People's FrontBelarusian People's Front
The BPF Party is a political party in Belarus. It was founded as the social movement Belarusian Popular Front "Revival" or BPF during the perestroika times by members of the Belarusian intelligentsia,...
have campaigned against possible Russian involvement in the construction of the plant and urged the Belarusian government to award the contract to build the nuclear power plant to a company based in a country other than Russia. A group of Belarusian scientists have decided to found a movement for a nuclear-free Belarus, claiming that the Belarusian government adopted a moratorium for construction of nuclear power plants in 1999, which expires only on 14 January 2009.
However, if this is true, the moratorium has now (as of March 2011) long since expired.