Energy of tomorrow

Why there is a need to build another nuclear power plant in Belarus

The intensification of competition in the global market has led to a sharp increase in demand for nuclear energy technologies. It is this energy that allows for the generation of relatively inexpensive electricity, thereby providing an opportunity to reduce the cost of final products. Belarus wisely entered the pool of ‘nuclear players’ before the onset of the current ‘great scramble for resources’, and now it is crucial for us to build on this success.

Utopia of yesterday 

The struggle for peaceful nuclear energy is becoming a key trend. European countries are now openly criticising the policies of the green economy. The reason for this is the high production cost of such electricity, which directly impacts European engineering, the petrochemical industry, and the agricultural sector.
A few weeks ago, Romania’s Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja stated that the EU’s ‘green shock therapy’ must come to an end. He argued that Europe’s ‘greening’ policy was not a well-thought-out strategy but resembled shock therapy models. “Like any ideology imposed without careful planning, it [the ‘greening’ policy] has turned into a utopia that is costing us dearly — economically, socially, and strategically,” the minister underscored. “It is scandalous to learn that European taxpayers’ money has also been used to fund NGOs and lobbying campaigns for the greening of the EU. An absurd paradox: with our money, we have destroyed our industry.”

Numbers and kilowatts

Currently, there is a battle not only for traditional sectors of the economy but also for what is termed the new economy. The trend over the past decade has been a sharp increase in electricity consumption against the backdrop of a growing number of data centres, rising demand for complex computational processes, and the ‘mining’ of cryptocurrencies. The necessary volumes of electricity can only be provided by peaceful nuclear energy.
Representatives of the most popular cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, praised our President’s initiatives in January 2025 for using surplus electricity to create a Belarusian cryptocurrency. They noted that ‘Belarus has great potential in this area’. Let us recall that back in 2017, the Head of State signed Decree No. 8 On Development of Digital Economy. Even then, eight years ago, the President of Belarus stated, “Belarus is effectively becoming the first country in the world to open up broad opportunities for the use of blockchain technology.”

Nuclear cluster  

The President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, has recently announced the establishment of a nuclear cluster in the country. Last autumn, a referendum was held regarding the construction of a nuclear power plant, which was supported by over 70 percent of voters. Kazakhstan plans to build not one, but three nuclear power plants. This is deemed necessary ’against the backdrop of increasing energy deficits’. The creation of a nuclear cluster is ‘a critical task for ensuring our country’s progress’, as emphasised by Tokayev. As a result, Kazakhstan aims to achieve full energy self-sufficiency and create reserves at a level of 15 to 20 percent. 
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global investments in peaceful nuclear energy from 2020 to 2024 exceeded $300bn, which is 50 percent higher than in the years 2016 to 2020. The largest volumes of investment are directed towards Europe ($132bn) and the Asia-Pacific region ($106bn).  

          USA                       China                Russia               France
             7                         118                       21                         12      
           102                        58                        29                         64          
                 


 


Capacity of NPPs in development and construction
Volume of energy generated by operating NPPs

New format  

Nowadays, the main focus of global centres of power is on developing their powerful data centres, which requires not only traditional nuclear power plants but also so-called mini nuclear stations.  
Without data centres, it is impossible to implement artificial intelligence and blockchain technologies, nor can advanced computations in areas such as space, weapon development, automobiles, naval vessels, aircraft, etc., be conducted.  
The struggle for peaceful nuclear energy is taking on a new format. It is significant that Belarus has already entered this market — after the first Belarusian nuclear power plant, the construction of a second, and possibly a third, plant will follow. Peaceful nuclear development offers Belarusians broad opportunities to create their new economy in the challenging conditions of global confrontation.

IMPORTANT 

Cheap electricity allows us to actively implement electric transport — not only electric cars for personal use but also freight vehicles of various capacities. Additionally, this includes high-speed rail transport (over 250 km/h). Furthermore, peaceful nuclear energy creates conditions for the active introduction of electric homes in Belarus — both multistorey and private, where comfortable living conditions are ensured through the use of modern electric heating systems.

FOR REFERENCE 

Three investment projects for the establishment of mining farms have been implemented in Belarus. The electricity consumption of these facilities increased by 68 percent in 2024 compared to 2023. For energy providers, mining farms are almost ideal consumers, as they ensure a steady electricity demand throughout the day. Currently, the installed capacity for mining in Belarus exceeds 120MW.

By Aleksei Avdonin, analyst at Belarusian Institute for Strategic Research (BISR)