On Saturday, November 7, the official launching ceremony of Unit 1 of the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant will take place.

Earlier, on October 23, the Department for Nuclear and Radiation Safety of the Ministry of Emergency Situations (Gosatomnadzor) of Belarus reported that the Belarusian NPP had received the appropriate permission.

According to the press service of the Republican Ministry of Energy, on November 3, the first power unit of the BelNPP was included in the unified energy system of Belarus.

The first block is expected to be put into commercial operation in February 2021, and the second in May 2022.

As President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said earlier, BelNPP is “a breakthrough, part of the independence” of the republic.

He also noted that electricity consumption is growing in the country at the household level and in the sectors of the national economy.

“We will focus on electricity everywhere,” the Belarusian leader stressed, urging scientists to propose solutions that “ensure the sovereignty” of the republic.

In addition, Alexander Lukashenko believes that a second nuclear power plant should be built in the republic in order not to depend on oil and gas supplies.

“We need to build one more such station in order to get away from dependence on hydrocarbons.

This is happiness, a gift, ”Lukashenka quoted Sputnik Belarus as saying.

Recall that the Belarusian nuclear power plant has become the largest joint project of Minsk and Moscow, in which the general contractor is the Russian Atomstroyexport (part of the State Corporation Rosatom -

RT

).

The facility, erected in accordance with the Russian NPP-2006 project, is located near the town of Ostrovets, Grodno Region.

The station will include two power units with a capacity of 1200 MW each.

"New technological competencies"

Experts note that the launch of the first unit of the BelNPP testifies to the ongoing "mutually beneficial cooperation between Moscow and Minsk."

“There is economic integration, the emphasis is on energy projects that Belarus and Russia do best,” Nikolai Mezhevich, president of the Russian Association for Baltic Studies and head of the Center for Belarusian Studies at the Institute of Europe, RAS, said in a conversation with RT.

  • Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko

  • © Sputnik / Mikhail Klimentyev / Kremlin via REUTERS

In addition, according to him, this event is "extremely significant for the whole of Eastern Europe."

“There is not a single nuclear power plant in Poland, in Lithuania there is no nuclear power, in Ukraine the peaceful nuclear industry is in crisis.

Belarus, with the help of the Russian Federation, trained a whole group of specialists who will operate the station with the support of Russian colleagues.

In fact, we are talking about new technological competencies, ”the analyst stated.

Deputy Director General of the Institute of National Energy Alexander Frolov, in turn, noted that for Russia the launch of the first unit of the BelNPP is "an obvious success in the implementation of the next nuclear project outside the country."

“This proves the competitiveness of the Russian nuclear industry, which was able to implement many infrastructure facilities, including in European countries, for example, in Hungary.

In addition, the BelNPP will operate on Russian nuclear fuel, which will bring additional benefits to the Russian Federation, "Frolov explained in a conversation with RT.

For Belarus, the launch of the first unit is "actually another step towards strengthening the country's industrial power and enhancing its energy security," Frolov emphasized.

  • BelNPP

  • © belaes.by

“Such objects are being built for decades.

BelNPP not only enhances the energy security of Belarus itself, but also serves as a source of energy “for growth”.

The Belarusian economy will develop, as well as its industrial potential, and it will clearly need electricity in sufficient volumes, ”he believes.

Lithuanian resistance

Despite the fact that BelNPP passed all the necessary checks by the IAEA and other specialized organizations, Lithuania continues to oppose the implementation of the project, calling it unsafe.

Thus, on November 4, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Baltic Republic sent a note of protest to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus “in connection with the information received about the start of energy production at the unsafe nuclear power plant“ Ostrovets ”.

“Lithuania condemns the irresponsible actions of Belarus, exacerbating the nuclear and environmental threats posed by the nuclear power plant not only for Belarus or Lithuania, but also for Europe as a whole.

At the same time, we urge Belarus not to put its nuclear facility into operation until it meets the highest nuclear safety standards and environmental protection requirements, ”the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

In addition, the Foreign Ministry, together with other institutions of the republic, "will continue to take measures within the EU, international conventions and other international formats, aimed at reducing the threats posed by the unsafe Belarusian nuclear power plant."

In response to a note from his Lithuanian colleagues, the press secretary of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry Anatoly Glaz said that Lithuania "uses diplomatic correspondence on BelNPP issues not to get answers, but to maintain hysteria in its media."

“The numerous notes that the official Vilnius distributes like the notorious iodine pills generate apocalyptic headlines and, as expected, sow panic among Lithuanian citizens.

At the same time, as you know, a normal dialogue, which could bring a mutually beneficial result, the Lithuanian side has long decided to sacrifice its geopolitical ambitions, ”the diplomat said in a statement.

Glaz also called the actions of the Lithuanian leadership "another episode of the" epistolary series ".

“I hope that in Lithuania from the“ Soviet occupation legacy ”there are still professional nuclear specialists who will understand.

Pre-launch operations at BelNPP are carried out in the strictest accordance with the schedule of milestone programs under the control of Gosatomnadzor and other supervisory authorities ... shortcomings that could become an obstacle to the safe launch of the first power unit of the BelNPP, ”the press secretary of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry stressed.

He also noted that "today BelNPP is the only one of all operating and projected nuclear power plants in the European region, which has been tested according to the newest, most stringent European standards."

  • Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus

  • Reuters

  • © Vasily Fedosenko

It should be noted that Lithuania's note of protest is not the first attempt by Vilnius to interfere with the construction of a nuclear power plant in Belarus.

President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nauseda sent letters to Charles Michel, President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Commission, in which he called on the EU to take "more effective measures to stop the operation of the unsafe Belarusian nuclear power plant."

“Now is the best time for the European Union to make decisions that would restrict the flow of electricity to the EU market from unsafe sources of third countries that do not meet the highest safety standards,” the document says.

He made a similar appeal at the end of October, stressing that "the irresponsible launch of the facility must be prevented."

As Alexander Lukashenko said earlier, due to the construction of a nuclear power plant, external pressure is being put on Minsk, although other Western countries are also carrying out similar work.

“We are also mastering the energy of the peaceful atom at our first nuclear power plant.

This is one of the reasons for the pressure on us.

In Poland, you can plan (the Americans will build a new station for them), but we cannot.

Finland can build nuclear reactors, but we can't, ”BelTA news agency quoted Lukashenka as saying.

"Political games"

As Nikolai Mezhevich explained, Lithuania perceives the launch of the first unit of the BelNPP not as an opportunity to receive electricity at a favorable price, but "exclusively as a triumph for Alexander Lukashenko."

“And this makes Vilnius angry, causes a feeling of annoyance and envy,” the expert noted.

However, according to him, despite Lithuania's attempts to impede the implementation of the project, "a technologically already built station will still be part of the unified energy system of Russia and Belarus."

“And from whether Lithuania decides to buy some part of the energy, nothing will change,” the analyst said.

At the same time, Alexander Frolov called the statements of the Lithuanian side about the alleged insecurity of the BelNPP "a clown of pure water."

“The facility is controlled by the IAEA, its construction began taking into account the highest requirements of both safety and environmental protection.

Such attacks of Vilnius can be explained by narrow-mindedness and senseless political games, ”the expert emphasized.

According to him, many Western power plants "are significantly inferior to the new BelNPP, created taking into account the latest requirements and technological capabilities."

  • Minsk

  • Reuters

  • © Vasily Fedosenko

At the same time, despite the opposition of Lithuania, the BelNPP will be able to effectively establish work, analysts predict.

According to Nikolai Mezhevich, the energy received from the station will meet the needs of Belarus itself, as well as be supplied to Russia and other countries at favorable prices.

“Poland and Ukraine, which are experiencing a shortage of energy, may be economically interested in Belarusian electricity.

It would be profitable to buy electricity for the Baltic republics, but political reasons will stop them.

At the same time, Latvia could well buy electricity from Belarus and supply it, for example, to Estonia, ”the analyst noted.

Nikolai Mezhevich emphasized that after the full launch of the BelNPP, the situation on the European energy market will certainly change - “the role of Belarus and Russia will increase”.