Belarusian experts are working on the possibility of building new nuclear power units in the republic, taking into account the growth of energy consumption in the fifteen-year perspective. This was announced by the Minister of Energy of Belarus Viktor Karankevich.
"Regarding the second plant, there are such tasks, we are currently engaged in this. We are considering various aspects and issues related not only to the possibility of further operation, but also organizational, technical, and economic," the minister said at a press conference. — We plan to provide 40% of the domestic demand, but this is based on current parameters and consumption volumes. Various measures are being implemented to increase electricity consumption in the country, and we must analyze not 2030, not even 2035, but 2040." Karankevich noted that by 2025, annual energy consumption in Belarus is projected to grow to 44 billion kWh, by 2030 — to 47 billion kWh.
The Minister said that the Belarusian NPP will annually produce about 180 cubic meters of operational radioactive waste, which will be stored in the republican radioactive waste storage facility, the commissioning of the first stage of which is planned by 2030. "Work is currently underway on the selection of a site, there are additional survey work to study world technologies that are used in various countries," Karankevich informed, noting that before the start of construction of the facility, "public hearings and discussions will be held both inside and outside the country." The head of the Belarusian Ministry of Energy recalled that according to the plan, the first batches of raw materials will be sent for processing to Russia in 2031-2032, recycled waste will be returned to Belarus after 2050.
At the end of February 2023, the Government of Belarus approved a strategy for dealing with radioactive waste. The document indicates that only during the expected life of the Belarusian NPP, the formation of 100 thousand cubic meters of solid radioactive waste and about 60 cubic meters of highly radioactive waste is predicted. In addition to waste from the Belarusian NPP, the strategy provides for work with radioactive waste generated after the Chernobyl disaster. Currently, there are about 570 thousand cubic meters of decontamination waste in 86 burial sites on the territory of three regions of Belarus. The state-owned enterprise "Belarusian Organization for Radioactive Waste Management" was created to work with radioactive waste. In early May, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko signed a law on ratification of the agreement with Russia on the management of spent nuclear fuel, providing for its reprocessing in the Russian Federation.
