The meeting was attended by Smolensk nuclear power plant (Smolensk NPP) managers, regional government representatives, general contractor Titan-2 and Belarusian firms with experience of working on nuclear power facilities. The Smolensk region shares a border with Belarus.
Ivan Sidorov, Director of Smolensk NPP, said: “We have experience working with the Belarusian side, and we are well acquainted with the products used in the construction of the Belarusian NPP. As close neighbours, we are interested in further cooperation and are pleased that you are providing your capabilities to implement the Smolensk NPP-2 project.”
Zhanna Sharando, Deputy Chair of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee’s Economics Committee, said: “I hope that following this important meeting, companies will find their niche and opportunities to participate in the large-scale project to build new units at Smolensk NPP-2.”
According to Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom’s report on the event: “Representatives of Belarusian enterprises – suppliers of cable products, water purification equipment, polymer structures, cement materials – reported on the results of their activities at the construction site of the Belarusian NPP, at NPPs in Turkey, Egypt, Hungary, and also proposed areas of cooperation with the Smolensk NPP.”
Under Russia’s proposed new nuclear programme, two VVER-1200 units are planned for the new phase of the Smolensk plant, to be commissioned in 2033 and 2035. They are scheduled to operate for 60 years, with potential life extensions up to 120 years.
Smolensk nuclear power plant is around 350 km west of Moscow. It currently has three RBMK-1000 power units, which were connected to the grid, respectively, in 1982, 1985 and 1990. Each has an electrical capacity of 1,000 MW. They have each had their operating licences extended to 45 years.
The Belarus nuclear power plant has two VVER-1200 reactors and is located in Ostrovets in the Grodno region in the northwest of the country. A general contract for the construction was signed with Russia’s Rosatom in 2011, with first concrete on the first unit in November 2013. Construction of unit 2 began in May 2014. The first power unit was connected to the grid in November 2020, with the second unit put into commercial operation in November 2023. More than a quarter of Belarus’s electricity is now generated by nuclear.
In November Belarus announced its intention to build a third unit at its first nuclear power plant – as well as starting surveys for a second plant which it believes may be needed to meet future energy demands.
