Media: BelNPP Second Power Unit Launched With 12,500 Defects

They refused to fix some.

The second power unit of the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant (the BelNPP) was launched in 2022 with more than 12,500 defects. The sPokoynyi Ostrovets Telegram channel reported with reference to its sources. They are talking about the problems of the BelNPP.

In total, 16,939 defects were discovered at the station in 2021-2023.

At the beginning of 2023, there were almost 4,000 defects in the second power unit of the BelNPP.

“Unfortunately, the most defects were found in the most important buildings. The 20UKC Nuclear Maintenance Building ranks first in terms of defects number (945 defects). The second place (477 defects) belongs to the Solid RW Storage Facility (the 20UKT). There are many gaps (455) at the Auxiliary Reactor Building (the 20UKA),” the channel reports.

Its authors believe that since they cannot start the second power unit for a long time, they are now fixing these defects.

The channel also publishes a document in which the contractor refuses to fix their faults due to "great limitations and inaccessibility". The reason for the refusal is that access to many objects, including those that have defects, is impossible after the installation of all equipment at the nuclear power plant is completed.

“We also want to note that the previously completed fine finishing and installation of false ceilings will be damaged,” the answer reads.

Therefore, according to the sPokoynyi Ostrovets, the BelNPP "will continue to work with a bunch of defects" because of the desire to "start this political toy faster".

Charter97.org also reported that the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a note to the Belarusian MFA. The note reads that Vilnius requires Minsk not to launch the second power unit because of violations of nuclear safety and environmental standards and requirements.

“Belarus has not complied with the recommendations of the experts of the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group (ENSREG), did not fix the issues raised by Lithuania regarding seismic aspects, the placement of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel storage and disposal facilities in Belarus, possible environmental problems, associated with the use of the waters of the river Neris [the Lithuanian name of the river Viliya, - Ed.] for cooling the reactors of the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant,” Lithuania also recalled.