OREANDA-NEWS. February 15, 2008. There are plans to apportion Br37.5 billion, including Br21.5 billion of external investments, for the construction of the Mozyr underground gas storage this year. The project is part of this year’s major investment projects list adopted by Council of Ministers resolution No 178 “Investments in the Republic of Belarus in 2008”.

The project for building the first stage of the new Belarusian underground gas storage is supposed to be completed in 2007-2012. Built by OAO Beltransgaz, the highly effective underground gas storage will use saliferous deposits in the Gomel oblast to store gas. It will be Belarus’ third gas storage (at present the country uses Osipovichskoye and Pribugskoye underground gas storage facilities). The underground gas storage is expected to reach the designed capacity of one billion cubic meters of natural gas by 2020.

This year’s major investment projects list also includes the reconstruction of Minsk Cogeneration Plant No 3. This year the power plant will be upgraded with a modern 230MW steam gas unit, which will largely improve the installation’s effectiveness and energy output. In 2008 Br100 billion will be channelled into the reconstruction of Minsk Cogeneration Plant No 3, with internal investments set at Br96.4 billion. Minsk electrical company RUP Minskenergo is also building a 110/10kV electric power substation Vesnyanka with 100kV cable lines. In 2008 investments in this project are supposed to make Br19.6 billion.

In 2007-2008 Gomel electrical company RUP Gomelenergo is implementing a major project to deploy energy-generating installations at a boiler house in Zhlobin. This year Br57.9 billion, including Br19.2 billion of internal investments and Br38.7 billion of external investments, is supposed to be channelled into the project. RUP Grodnoenergo plans to put Br13.5 billion of external resources into building a hydropower plant on the Neman River in 2008 and complete the project in 2010.

All in all, Br228.5 billion, including Br151.2 billion of internal investments and Br77.3 billion of external investments, is supposed to be put into the implementation of major investment projects at companies accountable to the Belarusian Energy Ministry in 2008.