Translated material
Two candidates
Russia and France are ready to build nuclear power plants in Belarus
By August 10, the Belarusian authorities will decide how the contractor for the construction of the nuclear power plant will be selected - through a tender or as a result of direct negotiations. Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Semashko told Vremya Novostey about this.Minsk will have to choose from two companies - the French Areva and the Russian Rosatom. The American-Japanese company Westinghouse-Toshiba did not respond to Belarus' proposals by August 1, when the deadline for submitting applications for participation in the project expired.
Rosatom responded unequivocally positively. He is interested in this project. Russia is ready to provide tied credit funds,” said Vladimir Semashko. The proposals of the French company Areva are less specific; they only announced their intention to discuss the project. It is expected that in the coming days the company's management will hold negotiations with the Belarusian Minister of Energy Alexander Ozerets.
Minsk intends to begin operation of the first nuclear power unit in 2016, the second - two years later. The capacity of each unit will be 1000 MW. The Belarusian authorities hope that the nuclear power plant will meet energy needs by 25% and thereby reduce the country’s dependence on Russian gas supplies, which today accounts for about two-thirds of the energy consumption structure.
Judging by the statements of Vladimir Semashko, negotiations on the terms of gas supplies in 2009 promise to be difficult. At the end of 2006, Moscow and Minsk signed a long-term contract, according to which the gas price for Belarus is calculated based on world oil prices. Recently, due to a significant rise in oil prices, Minsk began to consider that contract as unprofitable and hopes to negotiate with Moscow to revise it. Belarus wants to buy gas at $140 per thousand cubic meters in 2009, but Moscow representatives are talking about $200. Today, the supply price is $128 per thousand cubic meters.