[ad_1]
The Russian VVER-1200 project, consisting of two 1,200 megawatt power units, has been installed at the Astrave (CN) nuclear power plant, which is nearing completion.
Discussions on the construction of a new nuclear power plant in Belarus began in 2006. In 2008, the location was chosen – the city of Astrava. The project was entrusted to Russia, which at the same time lent money for the construction and operation of the nuclear power plant. According to official data, the nuclear power plant will cost Belarus 11 billion. dollars (€ 9 billion), of which $ 10 billion loaned by Russia.
The physical commissioning of the first power unit was completed on August 20 and the commissioning of the first reactor of the plant is expected in the first quarter of 2021. The second reactor is expected to be operational one year later, in the first quarter of 2022.
Worker Accidents and Deaths During Construction
Disasters and accidents could not be avoided during the construction of the Astrava nuclear power plant. Some of them were tried by the Belarusian authorities to hide them.
At least some workers died in 2015 – a concrete worker and an auxiliary worker are known to have fallen from a height. Another employee died in 2016 when a gas cylinder fell on him.
In 2016, one of the nuclear power plant buildings under construction collapsed. The authorities confirmed the information about the incident only a month later.
During the transport of the reactor vessel on July 10, 2016, it fell to the ground. At the time, the collapsible tank was still being considered for “inspection and installation” so that “construction work would not be stopped.” However, after the information was made public, this plan was abandoned and a new reactor vessel was ordered.
“I was notified the same morning of the incident. The builders moved it to the warehouse, they tested the relocation. It was raised to my height, maybe a little higher, the ropes were not holding it, and that” bačka “fell from a side to the ground from where it was lifted, “Lukashenko said later.
Due to this accident, the start-up of the nuclear power plant had to be postponed, the original plan provided for the start-up of the first reactor already in 2016.
On December 26, 2016, during the loading works at the Slavna train station, the new hull of the BelAE reactor collided with the power grid pole. After declaring that the incident was insignificant, the Belarusians were no longer determined to produce another building and postpone construction work again.
In March 2017, it became clear that the electricity generator, which had already been brought to the nuclear power plant, needed to be replaced with a more modern one. Belarusians found out about this only when a fault was detected at the Voronezh analog nuclear power plant, as a result of which the entire first power unit had to be disconnected.
On February 17, 2018, the reactor’s emergency protection system caught fire. The station management did not confirm this information. According to rescue services, there was a short connection to the power cable of the crane tower.
Difficult start-up: faults spilled as soon as it started working
On November 7, Lukashenko inaugurated the Astrava nuclear power plant. As soon as the power plant was commissioned, one of the transformers burned out the next day, causing the first reactor to shut down on November 9-19. Later, the Belarusian Ministry of Energy reported that the first BelAE unit was reconnected to the grid and electricity production was resumed, but not at full capacity.
Emergency cooling system
On December 1, the non-governmental organization Ecohome reported an accident “confirmed by multiple sources” in the BelAE. The emergency cooling system of the first reactor was reported to have been damaged during testing.
On December 2, it was announced that steam had been released during testing of the equipment, requiring further adjustment of the covers on the steam silencers.
On December 3, the Belarusian Ministry of Energy announced that the first BelAE unit would be closed: “planned tests are underway.” It is officially announced that the tests will take place until December 11.
Economic disputes
Accidents and disasters during construction or commissioning are not the only problem at the nuclear power plant. Poland, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania have already officially declared that they will not buy electricity produced by Belarusian nuclear power plants.
Even the physical start-up of the nuclear power plant, which was delayed for 4 years, and its questionable economic value by neighboring countries that refused to buy the electricity produced, forced Lukashenko to negotiate with Moscow. As early as February 2020, the Belarusian dictator declared that he had prepared sanctions for Moscow for breach of the construction schedule. He suggested that the Russian authorities cut credit interest “somewhere to the level that they are building in Hungary, Vietnam (around 3 percent annual interest) instead of paying penalties, and that Belarus should start paying off the loan in five years. , not in two years.
Moscow said at the time that both the interest rate cut and the postponement were “out of line with financial theory.” However, he soon agreed to extend the term of the loan until 2022 and set the interest rate on the loan for the entire repayment term: 3.3 percent. every year. The credit transfer date was also postponed from April 1, 2021 to April 1, 2023.
[ad_2]
