(Reuters) -The second of two units at Belarus’ only nuclear power station has been disconnected from the grid after an alarm indicating a deviation in the cooling system in the non-nuclear part, the energy ministry said late on Wednesday.
The power plant in the city of Astravets, located in the western Grodno region, is situated 15 km from the border with Lithuania and has faced criticism over safety concerns, primarily from neighbouring countries and international organisations.
“The situation is routine and poses no threat to the safe operation of the plant,” the Belarusian energy ministry said in a statement published on its Telegram messaging app.
“Radiation levels at the NPP (nuclear power plant) and in the surrounding monitoring zone have remained unchanged.”
Reuters could not independently verify the report about the incident and radiation levels.
The plant’s second unit was connected to the Belarusian grid in 2023. The first unit was launched in 2020. However, operations were interrupted by maintenance issues. The plant was built by Russian state-owned firm Rosatom and financed by Moscow.
The plant supplies about 40% of Belarus’ electricity needs, according to information posted on the plant’s website.
Baltic countries, which protested against the project, have banned imports of electricity from the plant, saying it was unsafe.
(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Warsaw; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Saad Sayeed)
