Belarus Plans Nuclear Expansion: BelAES Unit 3 and Second NPP in Mogilev Region to Advance in Parallel

Belarusian Energy Minister Denis·Moroz (Denis Moroz) recently stated that nuclear energy has become a strategic energy direction for Belarus, bearing on national energy security, economic growth, and technological sovereignty. Since the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant was commissioned, it has helped the country reduce its dependence on imported natural gas, cumulatively replacing approximately 14.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas and saving over $600 million in budget funds.

After assessing the multiplier effect of nuclear power on the economy, Belarus has decided to continue advancing its nuclear energy development. Moroz stated that the country has made a principled decision: on the one hand, to build a third unit at the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant (BelAES) in Ostrovets, and on the other hand, to simultaneously study the plan for constructing a second nuclear power plant. This means that Belarus's nuclear power development will transition from expanding the existing site to gradually adding new nuclear power base layouts.

Moroz explained that the third unit of the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant is an expansion based on the existing project, with relatively clear technical conditions, construction requirements, and operational models that can essentially replicate the existing units, so the construction period is expected to be relatively short. In contrast, the second nuclear power plant is a brand-new project involving a new site, new procedures, and more complex preliminary preparations, so the overall construction time will be significantly longer.

Regarding the second nuclear power plant, Moroz emphasized that the project's commissioning time may be postponed to after 2040, but relevant decisions must be initiated in advance. He pointed out that the energy industry cannot merely react passively to current issues, but should plan infrastructure and generating capacity in advance, looking ahead to the energy demand and system pressures that may arise over the next 10 to 15 years.

Currently, Belarus is actively discussing the site selection for the second nuclear power plant. From a geological perspective, the Mogilev region is preliminarily considered a more likely construction area. If the relevant plans continue to advance, Belarus's future nuclear power system will form a pattern where the expansion of the existing Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant and the construction of a new nuclear power plant proceed in parallel.