Nuclear fuel loading at the second unit of the Belarusian NPP completed, Ministry of Energy announces

December 27. Fuel assemblies with nuclear fuel were loaded into the second unit reactor of the Belarusian NPP on December 27, the press service of the Ministry of Energy reported.

“As the next steps in the physical launch of the second unit, the assembly, the sealing of the reactor with the necessary hydraulic tests, and hot run would follow. The second unit is to be brought to a minimum-controlled power level,” the ministry noted.

On December 21, the Board of the Ministry of Emergency Situations issued a license to the Belarusian NPP for the physical start-up of the second power unit. In the morning of December 22, the first fuel assembly was loaded into the reactor core.

Belarusian NPP is being built near Astraviec (Hrodna region) predominantly with a Russian loan for the Russian VVER-1200 project. Engineering company ASE, the parent organization of the Russian state corporation Rosatom’s engineering division acts as the design and general contractor for the construction of the NPP.

The first unit of the Belarusian NPP started generating electricity in the pilot operation mode on November 3, 2020. On June 10, 2021, the commercial operation of the first unit started. On June 18, a batch of nuclear fuel was accepted for the first scheduled reload into the reactor of the first unit.

The second unit is 95% ready. Nuclear fuel for it was delivered to the NPP on April 19. Prime Minister Raman Haloŭčanka announced on December 22 that the second unit would be put into commercial operation by the summer of 2022.

The physical protection system of the NPP was completed on December 5. The facilities of the second unit were transferred under the protection of the internal troops of the Belarusian Ministry of Internal Affairs that had started permanent duty at the first unit last year.