A chain reaction has been successfully launched in the reactor of the first unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant, the Ministry of Energy reported.
The controlled chain fission reaction has started as scheduled by the BelNPP construction plan. The reactor plant was brought to the minimum controlled power level. Thus, the reactor’s life cycle has begun.
“In the near future, a set of studies will be conducted at the first unit to confirm the reliability of the entire system of nuclear physical control and nuclear safety of the reactor plant. The next stage will be the power launch of the first unit with its inclusion into the power system of the country,” reports the Ministry of Energy.
The Belarusian NPP with two reactors of total capacity of 2,400 MW is being constructed in the Hrodna region near Astravets. The launch of the plant was postponed from 2018. The project is being brought to an end despite the protest of the public, a number of environmental organizations, some international organizations and Lithuania, whose border is several tens of kilometers from the reactors.
The agreement, signed in 2011, provides the Belarusian government with up to $10 billion in state export loans for the construction of the nuclear power plant. According to Rosatom, the projected cost of the nuclear power plant construction project will not exceed $ 6 billion.
