On Saturday, September 22, the Belarusian leader discussed the results of the Belarusian-Russian talks in Sochi at a meeting with the government members in Minsk.
In Sochi, Alyaksandr Lukashenka asked Vladimir Putin to extend the repayment period of the loan allocated for the construction of the Astravets NPP and lower the interest rate. The head of Belarus claimed that Russia had violated the terms for construction.
Lukashenka admitted that he is afraid that Russia will not manage to complete work by the new deadline as well. He hopes to reduce the loan rate to 3%.
By 2020, Belarus will receive up to $ 10 billion from Russia to finance 90% of the construction of two power units of NPP. One half of the amount accrues the interest at a rate of 5.23% per annum, while the interest rate for the second part pf the money is made according to the formula “LIBOR for 6-month deposits in US dollars, increased by a margin of 1.83% per annum”.
Rosatom declares, however, that the construction of the first and second power units of the Astravets NPP, which is being built under the Russian project, will be completed on time.
Sergei Alontsev, senior vice president for the NPP construction from the engineering company ASE, a member of the Rosatom corporation, told reporters that the work on the assembly of the reactor and the internals at the first unit will start after some security checks were completed.
