The first batch of low-enriched uranium nuclear fuel has been delivered to the construction site of Belarusian NPP. The Russian-made fuel assemblies are currently being prepared for unloading and inspection, Russia's nuclear giant Rosatom said this week.
“The initial delivery of fresh nuclear fuel is a landmark event in the construction of any nuclear plant and is of particular importance to Belarus, as it marks the first event of its kind in the republic. I sincerely congratulate our Belarusian colleagues for this joint achievement. In fact, this is the moment when the countdown to the physical launch actually starts,” said Vitaliy Polyanin, vice president of ASE EC JSC and director of the Belarusian NPP construction project.
The two-unit Belarusian NPP, with a total power capacity of 2,400 MW, is equipped with Russian-designed VVER-1200 reactors. The plant, the country’s first nuclear power plant, is being built in the Belarusian town of Ostrovets and is based on a Russian 3+ generation design. “We, alongside the customer (i.e. Belarusian NPP operator), Belarus’ Ministry of Emergency Situations, and Gosatomnadzor (Belarus’ nuclear watchdog), have done a tremendous amount of work to ensure the necessary conditions for fuel delivery, have putting pertinent facilities, systems, and equipment, including the unit’s emergency and physical protection installations, into operation to guarantee the delivery and safe storage of fresh nuclear fuel.”