Belarusian authorities have not conducted negotiations on the NPP construction with other countries, besides Russia. "There were no direct negotiations. Everybody says: if you leave Russia, then it will be another thing", a source in fuel and energy sector of Belarus reported. He also stressed that the main moot point in cooperation with Russia was creation of a joint venture for electricity sale.
According to the source from Belarus, «all it stalled at joint venture». He also reported that to resolve the differences with the Russians on NPP construction earlier Belarus offered Russia to build a third unit of Belarusian plant, which would be under Russian ownership. However, the Russian side did not agree with this option, PRIME-TASS informs.
«This option existed not at the moment, but at daybreak of our cooperation. In January 2009, such an option was offered to Inter RAO UES. But the company refused it because of the high cost», the source added. According to the representative of Belarusian energy sector, a «response» to this proposal was Russia’s intention to build NPP in Kaliningrad region.
As Telegraf previously reported, on August13, the president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, stated that because of the differences with the Russian side Belarus was considering the possibility to refuse the cooperation with Russia in NPP construction. However, Belarusian leader informed about the possibility of cooperation with other investors.
The Belarusian side opposed Russia’s offer to fix proposal for a joint venture creation, which would be engaged in electricity exports from Belarusian plant, in documents on NPP construction. The creation of joint venture is a precondition for Russian loan issue for the construction of nuclear power plant. Moscow considers a joint venture creation as a guarantee that the plant will be established to generate electricity for Belarus’ domestic consumption, but not for export.
Belarus planned to build NPP under Russian NPP-2006 draft of SPb Atomenergoproekt on the basis of NPP-91 draft. Atomstroyexport had to become the general contractor.
The planned nuclear plant’s power is up to 2400 MW (2 units up to 1200 MW each). The time of the first unit commissioning under the norm is 2016, 2018 — of the second . It was planned that Atomstroyexport would carry out turnkey NPP construction under the full responsibility of the general contractor.
