“Unfortunately, I have to state that the president was once again misled. The fact is that neither I, nor any other state officials from the Russian side have ever called the final cost of the Belarusian NPP, ”RIA Novosti quotes a diplomat.
According to him, the price was not called, because at present nobody knows it, and also due to the fact that “it can be calculated after the completion of the construction of both blocks”.
“And this, as we know, will happen no earlier than the end of the year,” Babich added.
As the agency reminds, Lukashenko said that the real cost of the future power plant could be less than $ 7 billion, while the contractual agreement with Russia was concluded for $ 10 billion.
In the autumn of 2018, Russian leader Vladimir Putin, speaking at the V Forum of the Regions of Russia and Belarus, joked that Moscow is building a nuclear power plant in Belarus to its detriment.
“Instead of supplying gas, we are building a nuclear power plant,” the president said.
At the same time, he stressed that the project will improve the situation with electricity and the country's economy.