The first loading of nuclear fuel began on 7 August at the Belarusian-1 nuclear power plant near Ostrovets in western Belarus.
State news agency Belta quoted the ministry of energy’s press secretary, Olga Kozlovich, as saying 163 fuel assemblies will be loaded into the reactor, followed by turning on the main circulation pumps to heat the primary coolant of the plant to design parameters.
After that, the reactor will be brought to its minimum controlled power level so further tests can be carried out alongside a gradual increase in the power level.
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