The main criteria — reliability and safety

The leading world companies strive to construct the first Belarusian nuclear power plant
The leading world companies strive to construct the first Belarusian nuclear power plant.

In order to globally influence the power production, to provide energetic safety and to weaken the ecological load on the planet, production of nuclear energy in the world should be increased to the middle of the century by 4–5 times. Russia, the USA, China, India and many other states have already announced about priority development of nuclear power industry. By estimations of International Atomic Energy Agency, in the nearest 15 years in the world will be constructed minimum 60 nuclear power plants.
China, for example, invested 50 billion US Dollars into construction of the nuclear power plants, planning to increase their number from the present 9 to 39. In India 8 nuclear power plants are being built, when they are commissioned, their number in the country will amount to 23. Norway, Japan, Australia, Taiwan, South Korea develop analogous programs. Vietnam wants to join them, it decided to acquire the first nuclear power plant to 2017. And also Poland and Belarus.

Let us remind, that a political decision on the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant with total electric power 2 thousands of megawatt has already been accepted. Commissioning of the first power supply unit is planned to 2016, the second — two years later. This will allow replacing in the fuel balance of the republic nearly 5 billions of cubic meters of gas. Now the preparation works are being carried out, including the choice of the construction site, development of a corresponding regulatory and legal framework and tender documentation for project realization. The government allocated 50 billion rubles for realization of these works in November of the last year, and total cost of the project is estimated at 4 billion dollars. Now geologists carry out seismological research in the region of Krasnopolianskaya and Kukshinovskaya sites in Mogilev region. Results of the investigation will be known in April, and a final decision on the place of the first plant will be made in 2009.

According to the performance of the Chairman of Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Mikhail Miasnikovich at the international specialized exhibition “Nuclear energy-2008”, which was held in Minsk, the defining criteria upon construction of the national nuclear power plant will become reliability and safety. All stages of preparation and construction of the nuclear power plant will be carried out in close cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the mission of which works in the republic. At the present time Belarus studies potential partners for construction of the nuclear power plant. A wide circle of participants of the exhibition “Nuclear energy-2008”, among which were represented Russia, Ukraine, Sweden, Germany, France, testifies on the interest of these countries to participation in the Belarusian project. Only Russian exposition occupied the area more than 350 square meters.

Such close attention of Russia to Belarusian nuclear project is not surprising. It is ready to satisfy the requirements of Belarus in construction of the nuclear power plant in case, if Russia will be chosen the general partner, announced at the briefing the general director of “Rosenergoatom” concern Alexander Lokshin. He also underlined, that export liabilities of the concern are the priority. Meanwhile, in Russia a large-scale program of development of nuclear energy was accepted, providing the construction of ten new power units with total capacity more than 11 GW. At the present time in Russia five power units of the nuclear power plant are being constructed, three of them are in their final stage. Now “Rosenergoatom” supplies to the units being constructed water-cooled reactors of ВВР-2006 type, which are created on the basis of ВВР-1000. Such units, the construction of which is considered evolutionary, can be installed at the Belarusian nuclear power plant.

If the scientists defined the type of the reactor, then the constructor of the nuclear power plant will be known only after carrying out of the international tender. When the matter is about the choice of the general contractor in nuclear power industry, on the first place there are issues of reliability and safety. When the country only begins the development of nuclear energy, it needs a partner, who will help to establish a regulatory framework, to prepare the personnel, who will render factual assistance to scientific organizations, which will take part in the project realization. But the main thing is to work with the companies of those countries, cooperation with which will last for minimum 60 years — exactly for this economic life the nuclear power plant is calculated.

The Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Alexander Mikhalevich thinks, that future constructors of the nuclear power plant shall fight for the right to build this project in our country. Belarusian nation is more sensitive to the development of nuclear energy by virtue of the fact that it has suffered most of all from the disaster at Chernobyl nuclear power plant. That is why it is a priori considered, that the station, which will be built in Belarus, shall be the most modern and the safest.

It is obvious, that there is no alternative for the nuclear power plant. This is today. And in the future nuclear energy will give place to hydrogen energy. The Chairman of Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Mikhail Miasnikovich underlined, that hydrogen energetics is one of the most high-technology and modern branches and Belarusian scientists actively work in this sphere.

Ivan Tsygankov
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