Unit 1 of the Belarusian nuclear power plant near Ostrovets in western Belarus has been brought to its minimum controlled power level and achieved first criticality, the Belarusian energy ministry said in a statement.
Russia’s sate nuclear corporation Rosatom, which is building the two Generation III VVER-1200 reactor units at Ostrovets, said Unit 1 achieved first criticality on 11 October 2020 at 02:26 local time.
According to Rosatom, reaching the minimum controlled power level at under 1% of design capacity marks the final stage of physical startup.
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