This replaced about 3 billion m. natural gas.
Minister of Energy Viktor Karankevich spoke about this at an energy security panel session of the online summit “Voice of the Global South”, arranged by India.
Not having large reserves of traditional types of energy resources, Belarus has relied on the use of peaceful atom and is currently completing the construction of its own nuclear power plant with two power units with a capacity of 2400 MW under the Russian project "AES-2006". “Our country has become the first foreign site where the state corporation Rosatom has built a nuclear power plant with pressurized water reactors of the 3+ generation that meets the highest safety requirements,” said Viktor Karankevich.
While other states are just starting to implement national nuclear programs, Belarus has already formed its own nuclear infrastructure, BelNPP works for the country's economy and brings a tangible effect. “A nuclear power plant is a reliable, economical and environmentally friendly source of energy,” the Minister emphasized. “This is not only a guarantor of Belarus' energy security over the next decades, but also the country's contribution to the common cause of climate change mitigation.” Due to the commissioning of BelNPP, carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced by about 7 million tons per year.
To meet the growing demand for electricity in the real sector of the economy and the population, Belarus pays special attention to the development of the power network infrastructure. Every year, the country constructs and updates substations of various voltage classes, high-voltage and distribution power lines with the introduction of the latest automation and digitalization systems. The total length of power transmission lines in Belarus is about 280 thousand km, which is equivalent to seven turns around the Earth along the equator. The country has 100% access to electricity for the population.
Local fuels are constantly involved in the country's fuel and energy balance and renewable energy sources is developed. The capacity of renewable energy installations in the country over the past 9 years has increased by more than 6 times - from 93 MW to 608 MW at the end of 2022.
The peat industry is developing dynamically. Belarus ranks 3rd in the world in terms of peat production and 1st in the world in terms of production of peat briquettes.
