The reactor of the Belarusian nuclear power plant (NPP) in Ostrovets was shut down. The shutdown is planned, Interfax was reported at the Ministry of Energy of Belarus.
The shutdown of the first power unit and the shutdown of the reactor were required to test all equipment systems. This is a necessary process to start, it will last until December 11.
President Alexander Lukashenko signed a decree on the commissioning of the nuclear power plant on December 1. According to the plan, in 2021 the first block will be put into operation, which is already connected to network from the beginning of November, but stopped to replace transformers for several days. The launch of the second block is scheduled for the first half of 2022.
Earlier, Lithuania said that it will do everything possible to stop the station. The official Vilnius believes that the nuclear power plant in Ostrovets is dangerous, despite the fact that experts IAEA repeatedly confirmed its compliance with the standards. President Gitanas Nauseda called the station “modern Chernobyl”, and exercises are being held in the country to develop a scenario of a nuclear disaster.
On November 3, after the first power unit was connected to the grid, Lithuania suspended all electricity trading with Belarus. Latvia and Estonia did the same. The boycott of the Baltic countries is also associated with the non-recognition of the results of the presidential elections in Belarus.