NPP Unit No. 1 has been in operation for five years, but gasoline prices have risen again.
Key events
At the Lukoml State District Power Plant, a major overhaul of Unit No. 7 has been completed. The work began in December of last year. As part of the overhaul, the blades of the intermediate-pressure turbine rotor stages were replaced, as well as the nozzle assembly of the governing stage of the high-pressure cylinder.
In the Gomel power system, there are no longer any air circuit breakers—all of them have been replaced with SF₆ (gas-insulated) breakers.
The reconstruction of the 330 kV “Zhlobin-Zapadnaya” substation has been completed. Air circuit breakers at 330 kV have been replaced with SF₆ breakers, new current and voltage transformers have been installed, power disconnectors have been upgraded, and other works have been carried out.
“Gomelenergo” operates 40 diesel generator sets with capacities ranging from 60 to 400 kW. The procurement of an additional 10 such units is under consideration.
As of June 25 of this year, Decree No. 447 “On the Simplification of Procedures in Construction and Connection of Facilities to Distribution Utility Networks” enters into force. Gasification of single-family and semi-detached residential houses will be handled by the gas supply organization instead of local executive committees.
By resolution of the Ministry of Architecture and Construction, new building regulations SP 2.04.04-2026 “Construction Climatology” have been approved, while SNB 2.04.02-2000 “Construction Climatology” is признан утратившим силу (declared invalid). In the new regulations, the parameters of the cold period have been significantly revised toward more severe frost conditions, while the parameters of the warm season have also become more extreme.
At the Gomel State Chemical-Technological College, a new specialty “Operation and Maintenance of Oil and Gas Fields” will be introduced. The enrollment will be 28 students.
The modernization of “Reforming Unit No. 3” at OJSC “Naftan” has been successfully completed. The modernization took one and a half years. Companies from Belarus, Russia, and China participated in the manufacture of the equipment. The launch of this equipment may increase gasoline yields.
A shutdown overhaul continues at “Reforming Unit No. 4.” The catalyst at reactors 601, 602, and 603 required replacement.
As part of the reconstruction of the “Polotskaya-330 kV” substation, a complex of new equipment has been successfully commissioned. Power engineers have completed all construction and commissioning works, officially putting into operation the 330 kV transmission line “Postavy – Polotsk.”
The Government of Belarus has approved a set of measures to prepare for the autumn–winter period of 2026/2027.
Statistics and data
Unit No. 1 of the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant has completed its first five years of operation. Since its initial connection to the power grid of the Republic of Belarus on November 3, 2020, the unit has generated more than 39 billion kWh of electricity.
By the start of commercial operation on June 10, 2021, Unit No. 1 had already produced 3 billion kWh (during pilot-industrial operation). Thus, over five years the unit generated 36 billion kWh, or an average of 7.2 billion kWh per year. With a capacity of 1,200 MW, this corresponds to an average capacity factor of 68.5% over five years.
The planned CUF for the NPP at the time of assessing economic feasibility was 90%. The average CUF for VVER reactors worldwide is 80%. In Russia, this indicator reached 79% in 2024, while in the United States it was about 90%.
The concern “Belneftekhim” is increasing prices for motor fuel. From June 24, 2026, the level of maximum retail prices for motor fuel at filling stations in the Republic of Belarus will rise by 1 kopeck and amount to: AI-92 — 2.58 BYN, AI-95 — 2.68 BYN, AI-98 — 2.90 BYN, diesel fuel — 2.68 BYN.
The cost of constructing houses with electric heating is 9–10% lower due to the absence of external heating networks and gas pipelines.
In May, eight wells were commissioned (one well was drilled at the Yuzhno-Astashkovichy field, two at the Cishkovskaje field, and one each at the Rechitsa, Astashkovichy, Vishan areas, as well as at the Barsukouskaje and Maskvichouskaje fields).
The rig assembly department delivered five assembled drilling rigs to specialists from the Svetlagorsk Drilling Operations Department in May and prepared six new sites for drilling construction.
Alexander Turchin signed a resolution according to which export duties on liquefied petroleum gases are reduced from $131.6 to $130.2 per tonne, and for ethane, butane, and isobutane from $118.4 to $117.1 per tonne. The change is linked to a corresponding adjustment of tariffs in Russia.
Statements
Minister of Energy Denis Maroz stated: “Belarus is implementing a new stage of energy transformation,” and further explained what this entails. “We are consistently implementing the next stage of sector transformation — the modernization of the electric grid infrastructure.”
The term transformation implies a change in the type or form of something (Ushakov’s explanatory dictionary). The modernization of the electric grid does not constitute transformation, as it implies the development of the existing system and therefore is not a transformation.
While the rest of the world is engaged in an energy transition toward low-carbon energy sources, we refer to modernization as transformation and consider it an achievement.
Topic of the issue: Peak Natural Gas Consumption
On June 5, a meeting took place between the Ambassador of Belarus to Russia Yury Seliverstov, the Minister of Energy of Belarus Denis Moroz, and the Chairman of the Management Board of PJSC Gazprom Alexey Miller.
The discussion focused on the passage of the autumn–winter period. “It was noted that in January and February 2026, when demand for natural gas in Belarus reached the highest levels for these months over the past decade, consumers were reliably supplied with the energy resource.” Such wording indicates difficulties in ensuring reliability and the use of emergency measures.
In January, Belarus experiences severe frosts (temperatures in Minsk drop to −26 °C). This event led to a major accident on January 19 on heating main No. 41 in Minsk.
Electricity consumption in any power system strongly depends on outdoor air temperature: the lower the temperature, the higher the consumption. Since 2019, Belarus has been actively developing the use of electricity for heating and hot water supply. Consequently, the sensitivity of electricity demand to temperature has only increased, and in January a new peak load was recorded—7,325 MW, which is 600 MW higher than the previous максимум in February 2025.
At the same time, on January 15, Unit No. 1 of the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant was taken offline for scheduled maintenance. As a result, during the coldest period of the year the power system lost an additional 1,200 MW of capacity, which had to be replaced by gas-fired generation.
An NPP unit can only be substituted by condensing power plants, and most likely these were the least efficient units of the Lukoml and Berezovskaya GRES (the more efficient units had already been loaded earlier). Because of this, gas consumption increased to its maximum level and likely was not even able to fully meet demand.
The gas deficit was covered through electricity imports amounting to 15 million kWh in the first quarter of 2026, of which 10 million kWh were imported in January and another 5 million kWh in February. It was precisely this situation that necessitated the organization of negotiations at the level of the Ministry of Energy.
Paradoxically, the commissioning of the NPP and subsequent measures for its integration—without sufficiently detailed planning resulted in an increase in peak consumption, despite an overall reduction in gas use.
As a result, Belarus, a country with an overproduction of electricity, is experiencing difficulties in supplying consumers because Russia, a country with an overproduction of gas, is unable to provide the required volume of gas.
Материал доступен на русском языке: Нехватка газа в Беларуси в отопительный сезон. Энергетический дайджест за июнь 2026
