MINSK, 11 March (BelTA) – The construction of the nuclear power plant in Belarus is not being delayed, First Vice President of the Russian company Atomstroyexport Alexander Glukhov told media in Minsk on 11 March.

“None of the sides is slowing down the construction. It is feasible to commission two power units in 2018,” said Alexander Glukhov.

Atomstroyexport’s representative also answered mass media’s questions about the construction of the Baltic nuclear power plant in the Kaliningrad Oblast. “Russia has never tried to hide the fact that the project exists. Rosenergoatom has formed the directorate for building the power plant and has already place the first stone into its foundation. The project is financed. Front-end engineering design and the general designer have been determined. Yet I don’t want to compare the Baltic NPP to the Belarusian one. They are different projects,” said Alexander Glukhov.

There are plans to build a nuclear power plant in Belarus with the capacity close to 2,400MW. The future nuclear power plant will be located in Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast. The first power unit of the Belarusian power plant is supposed to go online in 2016, the second one — in 2018. The power plant will use a nuclear station design developed by the Saint Petersburg-based institute Atomenergoproject. The Russian engineering company Atomstroyexport is the general contractor. Atomstroyexport is run by Rosatom Corporation and implements intergovernmental agreements on building nuclear energy installations abroad. At present Atomstroyexport accounts for around 20% of the global market.