(Reuters) – The second of two units at Belarus’ only nuclear power station has been plugged into country’s power grid, the energy ministry said on Saturday, as it works to utilise the full capacity of the plant.
The facility near the city of Astravets in the western Hrodno region was built by Russian state-owned firm Rosatom and financed by Moscow with a $10 billion loan.
The second unit with a capacity of 1,200 megawatts (MW) is expected to be fully operational later this year.
The first unit, with the same capacity, was launched in 2020, however operations have been interrupted by maintenance and checkups. Last year it produced less than half the planned output.
Baltic countries, which protested against the project, have banned imports of electricity from the plant, saying it was unsafe.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)