Belarus continues building biomass boiler houses using wood chips and pellets and searching for oil.
A wind power station near Navahrudak was repaired, and two solar plants were installed on factory roofs in Brest.
Six new wells were drilled, and repairs were completed on two oil storage tanks and the pipeline under the Pripyat River.
Key events
The Svetlagorsk CHP branch of RUE Gomelenergo, as part of preparations for the 2025/2026 autumn–winter period, carried out major repairs on the PT-60-130/13 turbine generator No. 5 and the T-14/25-10 turbine generator No. 4, as well as conducted hydraulic tests of the heating networks.
Work is ongoing on the major repair of the R-50-130-1PR1 turbine generator No. 6 and the reconstruction of approximately 520 meters of the main heating pipeline with a diameter of 530 mm.
The current shutdown maintenance of the delayed coking units at Naftan JSC has been completed ahead of schedule. Maintenance on the deasphalting unit has also been completed.
However, the maintenance campaign at Naftan JSC continues. In October, the Phenol Unit No. 1 is scheduled to return to operation following repairs.
On September 19 at 08:33, the 10 kV power network supplying the Ragachouskaya pumping station experienced an outage. As a result, temporary water supply disruptions may have occurred in the Urucha residential area (within the boundaries of the MKAD — Nezalegnosci Avenue — Ragacheuskaya Street — Heroes of the 120th Division Street — Skorina Street). Power to the Ragacheuskaya pumping station was restored at 09:04.
Gomeltransneft Druzhba has completed the reconstruction of the main lines of the underwater crossing of the Unecha–Mazyr trunk oil pipeline (DN 800 and DN 1000), as well as the main and backup lines of the Rechitsa–Mazyr pipeline crossing (DN 500) across the Pripyat River.
Additionally, the reconstruction of two above-ground oil storage tanks with a total capacity of 60,000 m³ is nearing completion at the Polatsk pumping station (LPDS).
The 110 kV Navagrudak substation has been commissioned. It is the first digital substation in the Lida Electric Networks branch.
The Myasakambinat substation has been reconstructed, with its voltage class upgraded from 35 kV to 110 kV. Its installed capacity is 2 × 6.3 MVA.
In the Lagoysk boiler house, two pellet boilers with a capacity of 5 MW each are planned.
In the Valozhyn boiler house, two pellet boilers with a capacity of 1.5 MW each will be installed.
In the Perchamaysk settlement boiler house, two pellet boilers of 1.5 MW each will be installed.
In Shklou, three wood-chip boilers with a total capacity of 5 MW are planned.
In the Mayski village of the Cherykau district, two pellet boilers of 1 MW each will be installed.
In Krasnapollie settlement, two pellet boilers of 1 MW each will also be installed.
In Khotimsk, a wood-chip boiler house is under construction to take over loads from gas boilers; two wood-chip boilers of 2 MW each are planned.
The Slabudka boiler house in Pruzhany district will be converted to pellet fuel, with equipment capacity of 2 MW.
From October 1 to 15, blasting operations will be conducted near the settlements of Zashchobye, Babichi, Torfazavod, and Zakroshinsky Mokh (Gomel Region).
At the Polatsk-330 substation, the next phase of the large-scale reconstruction has been completed, with voltage supplied to the section of the new 110 kV switchgear.
Statistics and data
In August, Belorusneft’s well portfolio was expanded with six new sites.
During the month, the Well Construction Department assembled and commissioned two drilling rigs.
In August, well maintenance crews handed over 12 newly drilled and developed sites to Rechitsanefť.
The number of electric vehicles in Belarus has exceeded 38,500, with a monthly increase of over 2,000. Electricity consumption by charging stations in 2024 amounted to 39 million kWh. In the first eight months of 2025, electricity consumption by charging stations exceeded 50 million kWh. It is planned that by 2030 the number of electric vehicles will reach 300,000.
Under EAEU regulations, electric vehicles are imported into Belarus duty-free within established quotas. For 2025, the quota is set at 15,000 vehicles. As of October 1, only 48 quotas remained available, while in recent days around 150–160 vehicles were allocated daily. A sharp slowdown in electric vehicle imports may occur next month. It is also unclear whether the duty- and tax-free benefits will be extended for 2026.
Results of energy-saving measures for January–June 2025:
- The energy intensity of GDP decreased by 3.6% in the first half of the year.
- Total fuel and energy savings from implemented energy-saving measures reached 262.9 thousand tons of fuel equivalent.
- The share of local energy resources (excluding nuclear energy) in gross consumption was 16.0%.
- The share of renewable energy sources in gross fuel and energy consumption for the first half of the year reached 7.0%.
Gasoline deliveries to Russia in September amounted to 45,000 tons. Deliveries of 300,000 tons are planned for October.
In the first half of 2025, the SPA Belenergo generated 21.7 TWh of electricity and 18.7 million Gcal of thermal energy. Consumption was as follows: electricity – 21.7 TWh, natural gas – 8.8 billion m³, liquefied gas – 18.3 thousand tons. Production of peat products totaled 573.5 thousand tons, of which 92.4 thousand tons were non-fuel products.
Specific consumption for electricity generation was 225.4 g of coal equivalent /kWh (2024 – 239.6), and for thermal energy supply – 165.9 kg c.e. /Gcal (2024 – 166.13). Transport losses were 7.52% in the electrical networks (2024 – 7.84%) and 6.28% in the thermal networks (2024 – 6.91%).
Statements
“In Belarus, non-fuel uses of peat will be developed,” stated Energy Minister Denis Maroz. This is a positive statement, as peat is a high-carbon fuel, and transitioning to the production of non-fuel products allows its replacement without reducing jobs or production capacity.
“If you approve a project to expand or build a new nuclear power plant, possibly even in eastern Belarus, in order, if necessary, to supply electricity to areas released by Russia…” said Alexander Lukashenko during talks with Vladimir Putin. These plans are discussed in the topic of this issue.
Topic of the issue: Prospects for a Nuclear Power Plant in Eastern Belarus
“If you approve a project to expand or build a new nuclear power plant, possibly even in eastern Belarus, in order, if necessary, to supply electricity to areas liberated by Russia — Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, Donetsk — if there is a certain need, in connection with the Zaporizhzhia plant,” said Alexander Lukashenko during talks with Vladimir Putin.
Let’s assess the necessity and economic prospects of constructing a nuclear power plant in eastern Belarus.
The construction of the nuclear power plant in Belarus was financed with $5.4 billion in loans. Based on the known interest rate of 3.3%, the repayment alone amounts to $25.6/MWh. However, the loan covered only 90% of the plant’s cost. Taking infrastructure expenses into account, the total cost of the NPP is around $7 billion, with the loan component estimated at $33.2/MWh. Today, the interest rate on such loans would be significantly higher. According to the IEA, the cost of capital for energy projects is in the range of 8–10%. At these rates, loan repayments would amount to approximately $46/MWh, which is higher than the production cost of electricity at the existing gas-fired units in Belarus.
In addition to the loan component, one must account for costs of maintenance, fuel, operational expenses, decommissioning, and radioactive waste disposal, which could increase the production cost by another 1.5–2 times.
In 2024, electricity prices in the first price zone (European part of Russia and the Urals) were about $18/MWh. Thus, selling electricity from a new NPP to Russia on a commercial basis would not be feasible even under the current loan conditions.
Let us examine the geography of electricity supply. If a new nuclear power plant is built in the Gomel region to supply electricity to the occupied territories, power would have to be transmitted through the Bryansk, Kursk, Belgorod, Voronezh, and Rostov regions to the Russia–Ukraine border.
Along this route are the Kursk NPP, Novovoronezh NPP, and Rostov NPP. In addition, the Smolensk NPP is located in the Smolensk region.
The Kursk NPP includes two RBMK reactors with a capacity of 1 GW each. This station is planned for decommissioning. To replace it, Kursk NPP-2 is under construction, which will have four more modern VVER-TOI reactors with a capacity of 1,255 MW each.
The Novovoronezh NPP has seven units, of which Units 6 and 7 are AES-2006 type — direct analogues of the units at the Belarusian NPP. The last unit was commissioned in 2019.
The Rostov NPP is relatively new. The first unit was commissioned in 2001, and the fourth unit in 2018. All four units have an electrical capacity of 1 GW each.
Moreover, the Russian Federation’s Energy Strategy until 2050 plans to increase nuclear energy usage from 75 million t.e. to 135.5 million t.e. — almost doubling it.
Thus, a nuclear power plant in Belarus along this supply route would not be unique and is unlikely to offer any particular advantages compared to other NPPs operating in this region of Russia.
The distance from Belarus to the Russia–Ukraine border, which is under Russian control, is about 1,200 km. At such distances, transmission losses would be around 10–15%, and including grid company costs, transport could multiply the electricity cost.
Therefore, building another NPP in eastern Belarus to supply western Russia or the occupied territories lacks both energy rationale and economic feasibility. Understanding that there is no demand in Russia for electricity from the proposed plant, Putin suggested that Lukashenko handle the electricity sales issue himself.
“If there is a consumer who will take the electricity and pay the required tariff, then financing the construction is not a problem at all,” said Putin.
Материал доступен на русском языке: На НПЗ — ремонты, квота на электромобили — всё, продажа электроэнергии в РФ не имеет смысла. Дайджест за сентябрь 2025.
