Rosatom Head Confirms Agreements on Third Unit of Belarusian NPP to Be Signed in 2026

Belarus and Russia are expected to sign the agreements necessary for the construction of the third unit of the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant in 2026. This was stated by Rosatom Director General Aleksei Likhachev. Belarusian officials had previously spoken about the same objective.

“In this major program for the development of nuclear energy, the next step, as decided by the president and the government of Belarus, is the third unit at the first nuclear power plant in Astravets. Viktar Mikhailavich [Karankevich — ed.] and I have a completely clear understanding of the technological configuration and technological design of the project. It will be another VVER-1200 — our flagship export project. <…> This year, in addition to finalizing the technical design, it is necessary to reach and conclude all agreements on the economic side and create the necessary legal framework in terms of bilateral intergovernmental relations. We will accomplish this task and have agreed on the next stages,” TASS quotes Likhachev as saying.

It should be noted that the construction of the third power unit is still a long-term prospect. According to Belarusian Energy Minister Dzianis Maroz, the new unit could be commissioned between 2035 and 2038.