On 22 December, on Power Engineers’ Day – the professional holiday, loading of fresh fuel started at Belarus NPP Unit 2 (general designer and general contractor is ROSATOM Engineering Division). At 10:11 а.m. the first fuel assembly (FA) with nuclear fuel was loaded into the reactor core. Totally 163 fuel assemblies will be consequentially loaded into the reactor. The fuel was manufactured at Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant (NZHK JSC, enterprise TVEL Fuel company of Rosatom).
After the loading is completed, the reactor will be brought to minimum controlled power level (less than 1%) and the relevant research will be performed. After the confirmation of the reliability and the safety of the power unit operation at design parameters, the power start-up stage will commence in the course of which the unit will be for the first time connected to the power grid of the Republic of Belarus.
“The most interesting, exiting and significant period of the nuclear power unit construction is its adjustment and commissioning after the completion of a huge scope of construction and erection works. At this stage, cubic meters of concrete, tons of metal structures, kilometers of cable and pipelines turn into a live organism, which will function and serve the people for at least 60 years. A physical start-up can be compared to shaping and beginning of life of the main organ - the heart of this organism. I wish us all a successful completion of this stage”, pointed out Alexander Lokshin, First Deputy Director General for Nuclear Energy of ROSATOM, President of ASE JSC.
At present, ROSATOM is recognized as a global leader and the only company in the world to implement the full-scale production of nuclear power plants abroad. In total, 106 nuclear power facilities of the Russian design have already been constructed worldwide, of which 80 ones are power units equipped with VVER reactors. Presently, Rosatom international order portfolio includes 35 units with VVER reactors that are being delivered at various stages in 12 countries.
Belarus NPP having two VVER-1200 reactors with the total capacity of 2,400 MW is being constructed in Ostrovets (the Republic of Belarus). The Russian design of III+ generation was chosen for the first nuclear power plant in Belarus, which fully complies with the international standards and the safety requirements of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). On June 10, 2021 Belarus NPP Unit 1, which became the first nuclear facility of the newest generation III+ built abroad under Russian technologies , was taken over for commercial operation.