Belarus Opens First Nuclear Plant

Belarus has begun to operate its first nuclear power plant with help from the Russian firm Rosatom. (Wikimedia Commons)

Belarus began operation at its first nuclear power plant on Tuesday, November 3. Neighboring Lithuania, however, has raised safety concerns and the geopolitical consequences of Belarus having nuclear power. 

President Alexander Lukashenko opened the plant on October 31. The Russian state-owned firm, Rosatom, constructed the facility and financed it with a $10 billion loan from the Russian government. The plant sits near the city of Astravets in northwest Belarus, only 40 kilometers from the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius.

At the opening ceremony, Lukashenko stated, “This is the historic moment. The country has become a nuclear power.”

The decision to begin using nuclear energy faced notable pushback, as the fallout from Ukraine’s 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster remains alive in the minds of many Belarusians who lived through the ordeal. 

This opening additionally comes after months of protest against the Lukashenko administration following a heavily contested presidential election. The relationship between Lithuania and Belarus came under strain when they granted asylum to Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the Belarusian opposition leader who claims victory in the presidential election back in August.

Production had stalled in 2016 when a reactor vessel fell following the workers’ failing to secure it properly. Russian authorities replaced the vessel at the request of the Belarusian authorities and construction resumed.

As of 2020, the plant has only partially come online. By the time of its completion in 2022, it will produce 1200 megawatts from two reactor units. The one current reactor produces 400 megawatts. 

The nuclear plant has received strong criticism from Lithuania, which immediately cut off imports of energy flowing from Belarus following the announcement of the plant’s opening. However, energy experts believe that this embargo will face severe feasibility problems given that four energy lines run between the two countries. Furthermore, energy from Belarus can also move to Lithuania via Russia, make it even more difficult to siphon out. 

In solidarity with Lithuania’s decision to boycott Belarusian energy, Latvia, a fellow Baltic state, declared that it would enact a similar embargo.

Lithuanian officials harbor concerns about the safety of the plant and claim that it has experienced robberies, accidents, and the exploited workers. Former Minister of Energy in Lithuania Arvydas Sekmokas stated, “The power plant was built in breach of environmental conservation and nuclear safety requirements and without upholding construction safety requirements. This shows that the plant is dangerous and an accident in it is just a matter of time. Of course, you can discuss the scale of the accident. However, in any case, Lithuania would not escape danger.”

Belarus’s move towards nuclear power has faced controversy both on the homefront and internationally. The opening of the plant so close to Lithuania’s capital adds another layer of uncertainty to Belarusian-Lithuanian relations, which have already experienced strain.