Republic
17.04.2006
Modernisation of the national power engineering industry will require over USD 5 billion, Belarusian premier Sergei Sidorskiy told the Chamber of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus today. He said, USD 2.5 billion will be spent on retooling and enlarging the installations and another USD 2.5 billion – energy-saving measures in other branches of the national economy.
Sergei Sidorskiy emphasised, the power engineering industry should concentrate on increasing the national energy security. In reaching the goal, major efforts will be exercised in modernising and reconstructing the existing facilities of Minsk heat and power plants #3 and #5, introducing high-performance steam-to-gas technologies at Bereza state district power plant as well as heat and power plants of Gomel, Grodno, and Mozyr. The measures are supposed to decrease the overall equipment deterioration level from 60 per cent to 45 per cent. According to the prime minister, the economic effect is expected to make over 900,000 tons of fuel equivalent. It will allow increasing the share of local fuels in the overall consumption up to 25 per cent by the end of 2010.
According to Sergei Sidorskiy, the fuel extraction industry should be improved. In 2005 Osipovichi heat and power plant was built. It uses only domestic energy sources (peat, timber). In 2006 similar heat and power plants are supposed to be built in Vileika and Mosty. On the whole, by 2012 Belarus should have built 50 mini heat and power plants, which will burn locally available fuel, underlined the premier.