OREANDA-NEWS. March 21, 2011. Russia and Belarus signed an international agreement for the collaboration in a nuclear plant construction on Belarus territory in Minsk.

The agreement was concluded within the framework of the meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Union State of Russia and Belarus under the chairmanship of the two countries’ heads.

Rosatom State Corporation General Director Sergey Kiriyenko and Belarus Minister of Energy Alexander Ozerets put their signs under the document.

The agreement provides that Belarus NPP turnkey construction will be performed by the Russian party. Atomstroyexport CJSC will be the general contractor, and Directorate for Nuclear Plant Construction State Enterprise will be the customer. A contract on NPP engineering, construction and equipment supply (EPC-contract) should be signed between the general contractor and the customer.

Belarus NPP will consist of two power units of the total capacity up to 2,400 (2х1,200) MW and will be constructed at Ostrovets site in Grodno region. The project MPP-2006 by SPb Atomenergoproekt OJSC with the advanced characteristics of safety and technical and economic indexes was chosen for the first Belarus NPP construction. Besides, the project completely complies with IAEA international standards and recommendations.

The first power unit of the future NPP is planned to be commissioned in 2017, the second one – in 2018.

Besides, the agreement provides that the Russian party will issue a state credit to Belarus the terms of which will be specified by a separate intergovernmental agreement.