Atomexpo Belarus is held at the initiative of the Belarusian Ministry of Energy in association with Rosatom. Over 80 Russian and Belarusian companies participated in the forum this year.
In its focus were cutting-edge design, construction, maintenance and nuclear safety technologies, equipment deliveries for the construction of Belarusian NPP, and assistance in establishing a nuclear education system in Belarus.
The opening ceremony was primarily devoted to the Belarusian NPP designed by Russian engineers. According to Alexander Lokshin, First Deputy CEO of Rosatom, the construction process at the Belarusian NPP Unit One is ahead of the schedule. “Unit One is scheduled for commissioning in 2018, which means everyone should be working hard. And that’s exactly the way it is – we are a bit ahead of schedule,” Mr. Lokshin said. He also noted that there are now 3,000 employees working at the site, with an additional 3,000 to be brought on in the near future.
“Rosatom views the Belarusian NPP as a showcase project,” Mr. Lokshin added. “In many respects, the Belarusian NPP can serve as a power plant construction model for both foreign and Russian projects.” The Deputy CEO appreciated the local contribution. “About 80% of all construction and installation work is being carried out by local companies, and the quality of their services is very high.”
Andrei Barkun, Deputy Director General of the Belarusian NPP, reported that Unit One will be commissioned in November 2018, followed by Unit Two in July 2020. He noted that Russian engineers were building the two units with a total capacity of 2.4 GW on a turn-key basis. The Russian Federation granted a USD 10bn loan for construction of the power plant. Vladimir Semashko, First Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus, noted that the contract price was denominated in Russian rubles while the loan obtained to finance the project was in US dollars. Mr. Semashko assured forum participants that there would be no cost overrun.
“We have drafted amendments to the contract. I think they will be signed by the end of this week,” Mr. Semashko said.
He also noted that relations between the two countries had been strengthening in recent years, with integration efforts backed by mutual projects. “The power plant construction is a showcase project – Belarus has never seen anything like this before. The power plant itself will cost eight billion dollars plus infrastructure –Astravyets will be turned into a modern town,” said Vladimir Semashko. “Construction quality and reliability is under strict control. I am grateful to our Russian partners and local construction companies for meeting the schedule.”
Other events within the forum framework were a research-to-practice conference on the nuclear energy prospects in Belarus and an exhibition of nuclear-related products and services offered by Russian and Belarusian companies. The exhibition demonstrated a holographic model of the AES-2006 design presenting the power station and its infrastructure.
