Lukashenko’s decisions helped ensure the efficient functioning of the energy sector

Viktor Karankevich. Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Energy

MINSK, 2 July (BelTA) – The President’s decisions have helped ensure the effective development of the energy system and strengthen the country’s energy security, Energy Minister Viktor Karankevich said during the ceremony of launching peak power generating equipment at four power plants. The event was organised on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the presidency in Belarus, BelTA has learned from the press service of the Energy Ministry.

According to the Minister of Energy, thanks to the support of the head of state, the industry has undergone gradual modernization on a large scale. Today, it is a reliable supplier of electricity to the economy and households.

“We all remember the difficult period of the 1990s, when there was a decline in industrial production and energy consumption, disruptions in logistics, supplies of raw materials and components. After the election of Alexander Lukashenko as president, the country overcame the economic crisis, restored growth in energy production and consumption,” noted Viktor Karankiewicz.

Since the early 2000s, two state programs have been implemented in the energy sector. The first one assumed a comprehensive modernization of key facilities of the Belarusian energy system, energy savings and an increase in the share of local fuel in the country’s energy mix by 2011. The second program aimed to improve the Belarusian energy system by 2016. Highly efficient generating capacities were put into operation and inefficient equipment was removed, and units at the main high-pressure stations were modernized.

According to the minister, over the past 30 years, the installed capacity of generating facilities has increased 1.8-fold to 12,000 MW. Enormous work has been done to modernize the power grid infrastructure – the total length of electricity networks has increased by 30,000 km, and the length of heating networks has almost doubled.

The key performance indicators of the energy system have improved significantly. In 2023, the total electricity consumption in the country increased by 2.5 billion kWh and reached a record level of 41.1 billion kWh. The positive dynamics continue this year: in five months, electricity consumption increased by 1.6 billion kWh.

“The start of the nuclear power plant’s operation was a historic moment for the industry,” emphasized Viktor Karankiewicz. The country completely stopped importing electricity. Dependence on imported natural gas decreased. The construction of such a large, technologically advanced facility gave a powerful boost to the energy sector and related industries and led to the wide introduction of the latest technologies.

Since the first power unit was connected to the grid on November 3, 2020, the Belarusian nuclear power plant has generated a total of almost 32 billion kWh of electricity, which has replaced 8.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas.