The development of nuclear energy will allow Belarus to replace about 5 million tons of imported fuel by 2020

March 11, Minsk /Olga Belyavskaya - BELTA/. The development of nuclear energy will allow Belarus to replace imported fuel in the volume of about 5 million tons by 2020. This was announced today at a scientific and practical conference in Minsk by Deputy Energy Minister Mikhail Mykhadyuk, BELTA correspondent reports. "This will lead to a reduction in the cost of electricity production in the republic as a whole. In addition, the country will be able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7-10 million tons," the deputy minister said. Mikhail Mykhadyuk noted that Belarus has carried out extensive and detailed work on selecting a project for the construction of a nuclear power plant. "We have studied the potential and capabilities of all considered projects, and as a result, the choice was made in favor of a modern Russian project - NPP-2006," he said. This project is one of the most modern, it combines an optimal number of active and passive safety systems for the future nuclear power plant. The deputy minister recalled that the draft intergovernmental agreement on cooperation between Belarus and Russia on the construction of a nuclear power plant has been prepared. From the Belarusian side, the document has passed all necessary domestic procedures, in Russia it continues to undergo these procedures. "We expect the document to be signed in the near future," the deputy minister added. Contractual documents for the construction of the nuclear power plant are also being prepared. Mikhail Mykhadyuk added that detailed work has also been done on selecting a site for the construction of the new facility. Based on the results of studies conducted by specialists, it has been established that the Ostrovets site is best suited for the construction of a nuclear power plant. This choice was evaluated by IAEA experts. "They highly praised the work done by our scientists and specialists in selecting the site, as well as its results," the deputy minister summarized. -0-