RIA Novosti cited the Russian official portal of legal information as saying: "The Russian side will provide the Belorussian side a state export credit of up to $10 billion to finance the cost of every contract … on supply of goods, works done and services delivered … by a Russian organization responsible for the construction of two energetic blocks [nuclear reactors] in Belarus."
In July 2012, Belarus awarded a contract to Russia’s Atomstroyexport, a subsidiary of Rosatom, for the construction of the country’s first atomic power plant in Ostrovets, near the Lithuanian border.
The plant will feature two nuclear reactors, each with a capacity of 1,200MW to strengthen the entire country’s energy capacity to 8,000MW, reports the news agency.
The first and second reactors of the power plant are expected enter into service in 2017 and 2018, respectively.
The project was initiated by Belarus in the 1980s, but was put on hold following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986 in Ukraine.
Additionally, concerns over the project were also raised by Belarusian opposition and environmental activists. These concerns became widespread following the March 2011 disaster at Fukushima nuclear power station in Japan.
The new nuclear power plant will also feature advanced technology to ensure accident-free operations.
Image: Russia operates Novovoronezh nuclear power plant II. Photo: © 2008-2014 The State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM.
