Russia-supplied VVER plants to cover one third of electricity needs
Unit 2 of the Belarusian nuclear power station has achieved first criticality taking a step closer to commercial operation, the Belarusian energy ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said the 1,110-MW VVER-1200 reactor unit near Ostrovets in western Belarus is now operating in test mode at 1% of its design nominal output level.
First criticality at a nuclear power reactor unit means the plant achieved a controlled, self-sustaining nuclear fission chain reaction for the first time.
The ministry said the next milestone in the commissioning process will be connection to the national power grid once the reactor unit reaches 40% of its nominal power level.
The ministry said the 1,110-MW VVER-1200 reactor unit near Ostrovets in western Belarus is now operating in test mode at 1% of its design nominal output level.
First criticality at a nuclear power reactor unit means the plant achieved a controlled, self-sustaining nuclear fission chain reaction for the first time.
The ministry said the next milestone in the commissioning process will be connection to the national power grid once the reactor unit reaches 40% of its nominal power level.
Increasing the reactor power levels will be subject to testing and regulatory approval, the ministry said.
There are two Russia-supplied Generation III VVER-1200 reactor units at the Ostrovets site. Belarusian-1 became the country’s first nuclear power plant to begin commercial operation in June 2021 after being connected to the grid in November 2020.
Earlier reports said Belarusian-2 is earmarked for grid connection in April 2023 and commercial operation in October 2023.
According to data by the International Atomic Energy Agency, nuclear power generated 14% of Belarus’ electricity in 2021. The source was exclusively the Belarusian-1 nuclear plant which produced 5.7 TWh of electricity in 2021.
