Belarus NPP's 1st Unit Reconnected To Grid After Planned Shutdown - Energy Ministry

Belarus NPP's 1st Unit Reconnected to Grid After Planned Shutdown - Energy Ministry

The first power unit of Belarus' Astravets nuclear power plant (NPP) has been reconnected to the grid after a planned shutdown, with the capacity of the reactor plant currently increasing, the Belarusian energy ministry said on Monday

MINSK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th March, 2021) The first power unit of Belarus' Astravets nuclear power plant (NPP) has been reconnected to the grid after a planned shutdown, with the capacity of the reactor plant currently increasing, the Belarusian energy ministry said on Monday.

The power unit was inaugurated in November 2020 and has been entering service into the Belarusian power grid gradually and in an experimental run so far.

"After completing the routine maintenance, provided for by the stage of experimental and industrial operation, ... on March 8, the first power unit of the Belarus NPP was connected to the grid. The capacity of the reactor plant is increasing," the ministry wrote on Telegram.

As of now, 259 out of the 394 tests envisaged for the current stage have already been conducted, the ministry added.

The Belarusian NPP is a joint Russian-Belarusian project, with the construction under the supervision of a subsidiary of Rosatom, Russia's state nuclear agency. The plant has two reactors with a combined capacity of 2,400 Megawatt. The first unit is expected to become fully operational by March of this year, and the second one in 2022.