At 11:45 am, the first fuel assembly with fresh nuclear fuel was loaded into the reactor core. Fuel loading continues.
Each assembly consists of 312 fuel elements with a diameter of 9 mm and a height of about 4 meters. Fuel weight in one fuel assembly is 571 kilograms.
A total of 163 fuel assemblies will be loaded into the reactor, followed by the necessary tests. The power start-up of the first power unit with inclusion in the country's power system is planned in the fourth quarter of 2020.
Belarusian NPP with two VVER-1200 reactors with a total capacity of 2,400 MW is being built according to the Russian NPP-2006 project near Ostrovets, Grodno region. The general contractor is the state corporation Rosatom. Generation 3+ power units have improved technical and economic indicators. The plant meets all IAEA safety requirements. Belarus uses instruments and mechanisms of cooperation offered by international organizations, interacts with the European Commission in the field of nuclear energy.
Putting BelNPP into operation will provide for about a third of the country's domestic electricity needs, replace 4.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year, and annually reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 7 million tons. The project will open up new opportunities for the widespread introduction of advanced technologies in the energy sector, industry, science, medicine, education, will be an incentive for the development of electric transport.
