Vladimir Semashko about commissioning of the nuclear power plant

We had already reported that Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus Vladimir I. Semashko had held a reception of citizens last Thursday in Ostrovets. Journalists of "Ostrovetskaya Pravda" grasped the moment to get an exclusive interview with the Deputy Prime Minister.

When will the nuclear power plant be run?

- Mr. Semashko, you had held a meeting of the headquarters for the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant before the reception of citizens. According to your opinion, how is the construction process going? Are there any problematic issues that are not solved?

- In 2016 the body of a nuclear reactor was dropped during the transfer. The general contractor replaced it without any reservations, but the date of commissioning of the first energy unit was slightly shifted. It was planned for November 2018, now moved to December 2019. We will run the second energy unit and the whole plant in the middle of 2020.

At the construction site everything goes according to the schedule. At this moment 142 different objects are being built simultaneously, starting with the nuclear island and finishing auxiliary services and premises. In July we are finishing the construction and installation works. The first energy unit should be loaded with nuclear fuel in the beginning of March. By the end of July we will complete the commissioning and run the first energy unit in order to reach its design capacity by the end of 2019. And on July 1, 2020, we plan to run the second energy unit. The task is difficult but real.