An additional, third unit will be constructed at the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant (BelNPP). The decision was made following a meeting with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko to discuss the performance of the BelNPP, rising electricity consumption, and proposals for building new nuclear capacities, Belarus’ Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Karankevich told journalists.
“As a result of the meeting, a decision was made to develop the Ostrovets nuclear power plant and implement the second stage: the construction of a third power unit,” he said. “At the same time, work will be organized to study potential sites in Mogilev Oblast. This additional research will determine where nuclear energy could be further developed in the future, should rising electricity consumption require additional capacity, specifically in Mogilev Oblast.”
Both processes (the construction of the third unit at BelNPP and the site study in Mogilev Oblast) will proceed in parallel, the Deputy Prime Minister explained. “But the decision on the second stage of BelNPP is already made, and we will now move forward with it.”
As for the possible construction of another nuclear power plant in Belarus in the future, Viktor Karankevich noted: “Any further decision on the development of nuclear energy will be linked to the growth of electricity consumption.”
In practice, electricity consumption in Belarus is currently increasing, supported in part by incentive measures adopted at the level of the Head of state and Government. A powerful boost to this growth has, of course, come from the BelNPP.
In 2024, electricity consumption in Belarus exceeded 43 billion kWh. Over the past five years, it has grown by 6 billion kWh. Viktor Karankevich outlined the key areas driving this increase.
For example, electric boilers have been installed in the national power system, replacing natural gas with electricity for heating and hot water supply in major settlements. Agriculture has also begun using more electricity in new, reconstructed, and operating winter greenhouses. “This year we will reach 120 million kWh,” the Deputy Prime Minister added.
The number of electric vehicles in Belarus has now surpassed 44,000. Naturally, their growth has driven electricity consumption, almost doubling compared to last year, and ten times higher than in 2020.
Data centers and mining farms are also developing across the country. The first such farm appeared in 2023. By 2025, electricity consumption in this sector is projected to reach 1.3 billion kWh, doubling compared to 2023.
Electricity use is also rising in the real economy and among households. Residential houses are increasingly using electricity for heating and hot water. “This also addresses one of the key tasks set by the Head of state: improving living comfort, especially in rural areas,” Viktor Karankevich noted. According to him, over the past five years, 2.2 million square meters of housing with electric heating have been commissioned, and more than 148,000 individual households now have the ability to use electricity for heating and hot water supply.