MINSK, 14 July (BelTA) – The public opinion in Belarus is shifting towards the development of nuclear energy, BelTA learnt from the Energy Ministry of Belarus.

The Energy Ministry informed that since 2005 the Sociology Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus has been conducting regular polls to study the public opinion on the development of nuclear energy and the construction of a nuclear power plant in Belarus. The data obtained in June reveals the shift in the popular opinion on the issue. The number of people who are in favor of the development of the nuclear energy in Belarus has more than doubled – from 28.3% in 2005 to 57% in 2010. The number of those polled who answered negatively has reduced 2.4 times – from 46.7% in 2005 to 19.6% in 2010.

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. General contractor will be Atomstroyexport, a state-owned engineering company regulated by the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom).