The Belarusian mobile operator has built the country's largest solar park with an area equal to 60 football fields and a total capacity sufficient to provide lighting for the entire Minsk.

The project was implemented near Bragin and serves as an example of alternative development of victims of Chernobyl disaster territories, reports Velcom.

The volume of investments in the project amounted to 24 million euros. According to the company, this is both a long-term project in a promising market and a contribution to the preservation of the environment.

“The construction of a solar park in Bragin is an important project not only for velcom, but also for the country as a whole. The republic not only becomes more energetically independent, but also gets an opportunity to reduce the damage caused to the environment, - noted the head of the corporate communications department of velcom Vyacheslav Smirnov. - It is also important that thanks to the project, the territories that have suffered from the Chernobyl disaster are being revived and are now considered to be of little use for doing business. The example of the Solar Park proves that unique projects can be implemented in such regions as well ”.

The solar power plant will increase the energy security of Belarus by reducing its dependence on hydrocarbons. Each hour of the park's operation will allow the country to save from 7 thousand cubic meters of natural gas.

The solar power plant in Bragin was built ahead of schedule. The project was completed 4 months earlier. It was no coincidence that the power plant “caught” as many sunny summer days as possible.

The power plant covers an area of \u200b\u200bover 41 hectares, and its nominal capacity reaches a record 18.48 MW for Belarusian solar plants.

To interconnect all panels and equipment, more than 730 km of cables have been laid in the solar park, which together exceeds the distance from Minsk to Moscow. The company also built a 4.5 km high voltage transmission line with 22 towers and a transformer. This made it possible to connect the solar power plant with the Bragin substation.

The solar park should breathe life into the areas affected by the Chernobyl disaster and be an example of how contaminated land can be used for commercial activities and benefit the local economy. Local contractors will be involved in the maintenance of the park.

It is planned that local contractors will be involved in the maintenance of the Chernobyl solar power plant.

Recall earlier reported that the Ukrainian government also intends to use the Chernobyl exclusion zone as an industrial hub for the production of renewable energy. In particular, it is planned to build a giant solar farm with a capacity of 1.4 GW on its territory. For the implementation of the project, an active search is now underway for foreign and domestic investors.

The most powerful solar station in Belarus will start operating next year near Rechitsa.

Since the fall of this year, the construction of the photovoltaic station has been carried out by the state production association "Belorusneft"

Photo by the press service of Belorusneft

For the implementation of the project, two plots of land were allocated in the Rechitsa region with a total area of \u200b\u200b110 hectares. 218,430 solar panels will be installed here.

"On average, 1,5-2 thousand panels are installed per day", - reported Naviny. by at GPO "Belorusneft".

The equipment is supplied by the Slovenian company Bisol Group. It is a premium PV module and installation system manufacturer offering a full range of solar solutions in over 55 countries.

The installed capacity of the photovoltaic plant near Rechitsa will be 57.8 MW.

“This will be the most powerful solar station in Belarus”, - note in the State Production Association "Belorusneft".

At the moment it is located near Bragin. Its rated power reaches 18.48 MW. The solar station was built by velcom. It covers an area of \u200b\u200bover 41 hectares. The project has invested 24 million euros.

The total investment in the project near Rechitsa will amount to about 65 million euros. As explained in the State Production Association “Belorusneft”, borrowed funds were attracted for the purchase of equipment, and for the construction and installation work - own resources.

The construction of the photovoltaic plant is scheduled to be completed in May 2017. Since December 2014, on the territory of the Belarusian Gas Processing Plant in Rechitsa, a photovoltaic station with a capacity of 3.75 MW, built by Belorusneft, has already been operating.

Photovoltaic station on the territory of the Belarusian Gas Processing Plant. Photo by the press service of Belorusneft

A total of 31 solar stations with a total capacity of 41 MW operate in Belarus. According to the state program "Energy Saving", by 2020 Belarus plans to build at least 250 MW of solar power plants.

The share of green energy will grow

According to the executive director of the Renewable Energy Association Vladimir Nistyuk, the development of renewable energy sources (RES) in Belarus is irreversible.

“Some say that a nuclear power plant will be launched and one can forget that there is renewable energy. But we must constantly remember that renewable energy is not only a contribution to the country's energy security, but also a contribution to the country's economic and environmental security. Therefore, whoever says anything, the process of developing renewable energy in the country is irreversible, ” - said Nistyuk.

He recalled that at the time of the appearance of the President's directive No. 3 "On the priority directions of strengthening the economic security of the state" dated June 14, 2007, a couple of dozen hydroelectric power plants and only two wind turbines were operating in Belarus.

"Today, the numbers show that renewable energy has made great strides forward," - noted Nistyuk.

According to him, there are over 3.8 thousand objects in Belarus with an installed capacity of over 6.2 thousand MW, which produce electricity and heat from renewable energy sources. Including: 31 solar stations, 17 biogas plants, 66 wind turbines, etc.

“This suggests that everything is working in the country today. And the most important thing is that quotas have been additionally allocated, and according to the calculations of state bodies, by 2020 we will reach another 900 MW of installed capacity without mini-CHP and wood-fired boilers ", - said the executive director of the Renewable Energy Association.

By the beginning of this year, the share of renewable energy sources in the gross consumption of fuel and energy resources in Belarus amounted to 5.5%. In the total renewable energy balance, firewood accounts for 54.1%, fuel chips - 25.5%, wood waste - 13.1%, water energy - 1.7%, wind energy - 0.6%. By 2020, the share of renewable energy sources in the gross consumption of fuel and energy resources is planned to increase to 6%.

Today, in many countries, alternative energy sources are used to power residential buildings and other objects. In Belarus, a solar battery on the roof of a building is still a rarity. But soon one of the Minsk educational institutions will switch to 100% use of solar energy. According to Dmitry Mitskevich, director of the Glavenergo company in charge of the facility, the new technology will ensure the energy consumption of the entire institution.

Unfortunately, this is only one of three facilities in Belarus that have taken a step towards such an innovation. Clean energy is a great option for houses and cottages that are located far from city communications. A person will receive the required amount of electricity regularly, having invested in it only once. Moreover, the investment will soon pay off. In countries where sunny days prevail over cloudy - in Saudi Arabia, the USA, India - solar power plants have been operating for a long time to supply small towns or settlements.

What prevents Belarusian buildings from using the method of power supply straight from nature, which has long been mastered in the world, read in an interview.

- How will the new educational institution differ from others?

- Nothing, except a noticeable saving of natural resources. In cloudless sunny weather, the station will generate 40 kW of energy, which will supply the entire building with energy. This means that the functioning of lighting, computers, office equipment and other equipment is guaranteed. Even at peak load, the equipment will work smoothly, in addition, the energy released will be in excess. This surplus is for sale. Despite the fact that more than 80% of the total solar energy is generated by the station between April and October, the season will not affect the efficiency of the installation.

The constructions used have no analogues in Belarus and were brought from Lithuania. They withstand wind and other environmental stress.

May 28, 2013 - the day of making the final touches for the finished object. On this day, the first power supply of the building was turned on under the supervision of specialists, employees of energy supervision. The building will have a modern look with mirror modules on the roof on both sides.

- Are there many buildings in Minsk that use alternative energy sources?

- Today, at the administrative building of the Luch plant at the exit from the station. m. "Park Chelyuskintsev" there are about 5-10 panels, giving out 1-2 kW of energy. This mini station is intended for demonstration rather than practical purposes.

The second object is located on the roof of the parking lot and at the same time the office of Glavenergo on Melezha Street. Its power is 5 kW. This value is able to make a 200 sq.m. house autonomous, that is, to ensure the operation of the equipment to which each of us is accustomed.

The rest of the small modules that can be seen in Minsk are autonomous lights of traffic lights, signs at pedestrian crossings and other small objects.

- Why are alternative energy sources still not spreading in Belarus?

- The process of installing, designing, assembling and connecting a solar power plant is a long, strictly recorded process. In order to locate a conventional station in one of the buildings in Minsk, it is necessary to go through many stages of approval.

First, get the architect's permission to ensure that the object fits into the architectural ensemble. After that - get permission from the building owner to connect the station. Then request permission from the executive committee for design and demanding work. Next, you need to prepare a project for the future station. This can be done by a professional electrician. The next stage is the development of structures on which the batteries will be securely attached. After the documentation is provided to local operators of power grids, technical conditions for connection are issued.

In short, the procedure is so long that there is no desire to deal with this innovative energy source. At this stage, relevance ends.

The unpopularity of alternative energy is supported by the amount that needs to be spent on connecting the station. As a result, it turns out that it is easier for people to use electricity, which is relatively cheap in Belarus, because the user pays to the state only one third of the cost of consumed energy. We hope that the process will not stand still. In the Gomel region, 5 sites are already being prepared for the installation of solar stations, there are also plans in the Mogilev region. On a national scale, this is very little.

“But in Europe, even ordinary homeowners have taken the tendency to install solar panels for personal use. And successfully.

- Everything is simple in Europe. The principle of one window helps. The customer is only required to submit the relevant documents for consideration. After that, either a permit or a refusal is issued. Immediately after that - please proceed with the station installation. Europe has long adopted a program for the development of alternative energy. Principle - the state dates part of the cost of using solar energy from the state budget. (energy is consumed and used only during the day) - about $ 11 thousand. A standard set - 20 modules, a set of cables, a set of fasteners, an inverter, controllers, discharge stores. Everything fits into the conveyor compactly and is assembled within 2-3 days.

- What does the ideal house of the future look like in your opinion?

- House with a 5 kW solar station and a 5 kW wind farm on the roof. This is all that is necessary for a comfortable life and the use of all the devices and benefits of humanity available at home.

Energy of Belarus - one of the main sectors of the economy of the Republic of Belarus and is its most important structural component. The fuel and energy complex (FEC) ensures the functioning of all its branches and the sustainable social and economic development of the country. The fuel and energy complex of Belarus includes systems for the extraction, transport, storage, production and distribution of the main types of energy carriers: natural gas, oil and products of its processing, solid fuels, electric and thermal energy. The development of the industry is determined by the concept of energy security and increasing the country's energy independence. Its implementation is ensured by a number of state programs for the development of alternative sources of nuclear and renewable energy, increasing the efficiency of the use of fuel and energy resources.

The role of the complex in the country's economy is determined by the following parameters: it produces 24% of the country's industrial production, assimilates a fourth of all investments in fixed assets of industry, 22.8% of industrial-production fixed assets are concentrated in it, and 5.3% of industrial-production personnel are employed.

In the fuel and energy complex of Belarus, there are:

• fuel industry (oil, gas, peat);
• electric power industry.

The fuel and energy complex has a developed industrial infrastructure, including a network of oil and gas pipelines, including trunk pipelines, as well as high-voltage power lines.

The government body that forms and implements the country's energy policy is the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Belarus.

History

The largest trunk oil and gas pipelines passing through the territory of Belarus

Extraction of combustible minerals

oil

The maximum level of annual oil production, reached in 1975, amounted to 7953.600 thousand tons. The main volume of production was obtained from the largest fields: Rechitskoye, Ostashkovichskoye, Vishanskoye, Tishkovskoye, Yuzhno-Ostashkovichskoye. Since 1976, oil production has been declining, and in 1997 it reached the level of 1.822 million tons. The deteriorating structure of oil reserves was the determining factor for the decline, since the main fields entered the final stage of development. The replenishment of the resource base was carried out mainly through the discovery of small deposits with hard-to-recover reserves. Since 1997, the process of falling oil production has been suspended, followed by its stabilization in 1999-2017. at the level of 1.6-1.8 million tons.

In total, there are 82 oil fields located in the tectonic zone of the Pripyat trough (78 in the Gomel region and 4 in the Mogilev region). In 2015, 59 deposits were exploited, and the rest were explored or were mothballed.

Balance oil reserves: 61 million tons (2005), 47.1 million tons (2015). Half of the reserves are hard to recover. At the moment, work has begun on the search for oil fields in the southern part of the Pripyat trough.

In May 2007, the Belarusian Oil Company was established to sell oil products.

Natural gas

Currently Belarus does not have industrial natural gas deposits. When developing oil fields, associated gas is produced.

Peat

The main consumer of gas in Belarus is the electric power industry, whose share in the structure of gas consumption reaches up to 73%. 10% of gas is consumed in industry, another 7% is used as petrochemical feedstock. Gas consumption by the population and the household sector accounts for 7% of the gross gas consumption in Belarus. Up to 3% of gas is used as motor fuel. The share of agriculture in the structure of gas consumption is insignificant - 0.3%.

Belarus is an important hub for the transit of Russian gas to Poland and Western European countries (about 70% of transit volumes), Ukraine, Lithuania and the Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation.

The transit of Russian natural gas through the territory of Belarus is provided through the following main gas pipelines:

• Yamal - Europe (diameter - 1420 mm);
• Torzhok - Minsk - Ivatsevichi (3x1220 mm);
• Kobrin - Brest - State border (1020 mm);
• Minsk - Vilnius (1220 mm);
• Ivatsevichi - Valley (2x1220 mm);
• Torzhok - Valley (1420 mm);
• Volkovysk - State border (273 mm).

On the territory of Belarus there are 3 underground gas storages (UGS) with a total active gas capacity of about 1.28 billion cubic meters [ ] :

• Pribugskoye (0.6 billion cubic meters);
• Osipovichskoye (0.36 billion cubic meters);
• Mozyrskoe (0.315 billion cubic meters).

Peat industry

The peat industry produces peat for fuel, for agriculture, chemical processing, and is engaged in the production of peat briquettes.

At present, the peat industry is represented by 37 enterprises, which are engaged in the extraction and processing of peat, it is used primarily in the household sector. The main types of products are: peat briquettes, lump and sphagnum peat. Operational reserves of peat at the raw material bases of enterprises amount to 142.5 million tons, including 100 million tons of peat suitable for briquetting.

Power engineering

Power lines 220, 330 and 750 kV on the territory of the Republic of Belarus

The power industry generates, transmits and distributes electrical and heat energy. It accounts for 7.3% of the gross industrial output, 15.9% of the basic industrial production assets.

In 1889, the first power plant was launched on the territory of the modern Republic of Belarus - at the Dobrush paper mill, in 1894 the first power plant was opened in Minsk, in 1898 - in Vitebsk. By 1913, 11 power plants with a total capacity of 5.3 MW and an annual electricity generation of 3 million kWh were operating in the Belarusian provinces. The power plants were fueled by local peat and imported coal. In 1927-1930, the Belorusskaya GRES (Orsha district of the modern Vitebsk region) with a capacity of 10 MW was built. Another large power plant was Minsk CHPP-2. By 1940, the total capacity of the power plants of the BSSR, which operated mainly on peat, was 128.8 MW with an annual output of 508 million kWh of electricity. In the 1950s - 1970s, many power plants were built, the largest of which are Lukomskaya (Lukoml) GRES, Berezovskaya GRES, Minsk CHP-3 and CHP-4, Gomel CHP-2, in the 1980s, construction of the Minsk nuclear power plant began. TPP, design of the Belarusian NPP has begun. As of January 1, 1991, the installed capacity of power plants in the BSSR amounted to 6939.3 MW (more than 99% at thermal power plants). In 1985, large power plants stopped burning peat and coal, and power plants were converted to use fuel oil and natural gas. In 1992-1994, new power units were put into operation at Minsk CHPP-4 and Gomel CHP-2, in 1999, Minsk CHP-5 was launched at the site of the nuclear CHPP.

The modern electric power industry of Belarus is a constantly developing highly automated complex, united by a common operating mode and a single centralized dispatch control. The production potential of the Belarusian energy system is represented by 22 large power plants, 25 district boiler houses, includes almost 7 thousand km of backbone and about 250 thousand km of high-voltage distribution lines and more than 2 thousand km of heating networks. That is, the power industry is represented by a whole system of devices: from the most complex power plants to the distribution cabinets of ShR 11. The installed capacity of power plants, according to Belenergo, was 9.1 million kW in 2018. Thermal power plants form the basis of the electric power industry in Belarus; they generate 99.9% of all electricity. Among thermal power plants, there are condensing (GRES) and combined heat and power plants (CHP). Their share in the total installed capacity is 43.7% and 56.3%, respectively.

The largest power plant in Belarus, the Lukoml GRES, with a capacity of 2560 MW, generates more than 40% of all electricity using natural gas and heating oil. The largest power plants include Berezovskaya GRES (installed capacity - 930 MW).

Among the combined heat and power plants with the installed capacity for the generation of electrical energy, the following stand out: Minsk CHPP-4 (1030 MW), CHP-3 (420 MW). CHPP-5 (330 MW). Gomel CHP-2 (540 MW), Mogilev CHP-2 (345 MW), Novopolotsk CHP (505 MW), Svetlogorsk CHP (260 MW). Mozyr TPP (195 MW), Bobruisk TPP-2 (180 MW). Combined heat and power plants and district boiler houses generate about 60% of thermal energy. There are also several thousand small power plants that have low technical and economic characteristics, have a negative impact on the environment, and consume a significant amount of labor resources.

In different periods, more than 50 small and medium-sized hydroelectric power plants were built on the territory of Belarus, including the Vitebsk HPP (40 MW), the Polotsk HPP (21.66 MW), the Grodno HPP (17 MW), the Osipovichskaya HPP (2.2 MW ), Chigirinskaya HPP (1.5 MW).

In the 1980s, a nuclear power plant was being built near Minsk, but after the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the unfinished construction was converted into a thermal power plant. In 2011, the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant began in the north-west of the country in the Ostrovets district of the Grodno region. The NPP will consist of two power units with a total capacity of up to 2400 (2x1194) MW. The Russian project "AES-2006" with water-cooled power reactors (VVER) of generation "3+" was selected. The first power unit is planned to be commissioned in 2019, the second in 2020.

In the 2000s, the state began to attract foreign loans for energy development. On November 25, 2011, an agreement was signed between the Government of the Republic of Belarus and the Government of the Russian Federation on the construction of the Belarusian NPP. Another 6 loans of two types (for the implementation of an investment project and for the provision of a preferential consumer - "tied" - loan) were taken by the state from the Export-Import Bank of China and the State Development Bank of China: for the reconstruction of Minsk CHPP-2 (2007), for the completion Minsk TPP-5 (2009), for the construction of a 400 MW CCGT unit at the Lukomlskaya TPP and Berezovskaya TPP (both in 2010), on the construction of power lines at the Belarusian NPP (2013), on the reconstruction of the Minsk-Severnaya substation (2015 year).

An intergovernmental agreement with Russia on the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant was concluded in the amount of $ 10 billion. The loan repayment will begin six months after the NPP is commissioned and will be carried out in dollars until 2035 in equal installments every six months. Half of the used part of the loan is charged 5.23% per annum, the second - a floating rate of LIBOR (about 1% or less) + 1.83% per annum. Annual payments on this loan in 2021-2035 are estimated at $ 1 billion.

Largest power plants

Renewable sources

According to the Law of the Republic of Belarus "On Renewable Energy Sources", electricity from renewable sources is purchased by state power supply organizations in the first 10 years of operation of such power plants with increasing coefficients (in 2016 - 28-52 kopecks per 1 kWh with an average cost of production of 1 kW H at power plants of Belenergo at 9.8 kopecks). In 2015, by a presidential decree and a resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus, quotas were established for the installed capacity of alternative energy sources; while the share of renewable sources by 2020 is planned at 6%.

HPP

In 2010, 45 million kWh of 34.9 billion kWh were produced at the hydroelectric power station, after the commissioning of the Grodno hydroelectric power station, the production of electricity at hydroelectric power plants in 2016 reached 142 million kWh.

The technical hydro potential of the republic is estimated at 2.5 billion kWh / year, it is implemented at more than 50 small HPPs with an installed capacity of 95.8 MW (2017). The total electricity potential of all rivers in Belarus is estimated at 900 MW.

The largest hydroelectric power plant - Vitebsk (40 MW, 138 million kWh) was commissioned in 2017.

In May 2011, the country's first and highest in the CIS wind power plant (2 km from Novogrudok) with a capacity of 1.5 MW was launched. It is expected to generate about 3.8 million kWh of electricity per year (will meet the household needs of the population of the regional center).

In 2017, there were about 47 facilities in the country that operate wind turbines with a total installed capacity of 84 MW. By 2020, wind power plants are expected to be commissioned in Smorgon (15 MW), Oshmyansky (25 MW), Liozensky (50 MW) and Dzerzhinsky (160 MW) regions.

Solar power plants

In 2013, 0.4 million kWh was produced by solar power plants, in 2016 it reached 28 million kWh.

August 2015 - the construction of a solar power plant with a capacity of 1.26 MW was completed in the village of Rozhanka, Shchuchinsky District. In 2016, another special economic zone with a capacity of 2.5 MW was launched in the Shchuchin region [A solar power plant with a capacity of 2.5 MW was opened in Shchuchin]

solar power plant with a capacity of 5.7 MW in the Myadel region.

Summer 2016 - a solar power plant with a capacity of up to 18.48 MW was put into operation in the Bragin district.

In October 2017, a 55 MW solar power plant was opened in the Rechitsa region.

In Smorgon, a 17 MW solar power plant is being built. The first stage was commissioned in February 2017 [

Velcom has built the largest solar power plant in Belarus with the size of 60 football fields and with a capacity that will be enough to turn on the entire evening illumination of Minsk. The project was implemented near Bragin, velcom press service reported.

The volume of investments in the project amounted to 24 million euros. As velcom reported, for them “this is both a long-term project in a promising market and a contribution to the preservation of the environment”. Every hour of the park's operation will allow Belarus to abandon 7,000 cubic meters of natural gas, the company says.

The solar power plant in Bragin was built ahead of schedule. The project was completed four months earlier than it was stipulated in the investment agreement. It was no coincidence that the power plant “caught” as many sunny summer days as possible. This summer, a trial run of the solar park took place, and the power plant was accepted into operation.

It is reported that the velcom solar park has become the largest in the country, both in terms of size and capacity. The power plant covers an area of \u200b\u200bover 41 hectares, and its nominal capacity reaches a record 18.48 MW for Belarusian solar power plants. No other facility in the country powered by the sun has such characteristics.

The park consists of 85,000 solar panels that convert solar radiation into direct current electricity. After that, it goes to 617 inverters with a voltage of 0.4 kV, which convert it into alternating current. With the help of 10 transformer substations, the voltage is increased to 20 kV. In turn, a powerful transformer brings it up to 110 kV - the level that is necessary to transmit electricity to a single network.

To connect all panels and equipment to each other, more than 730 km of cables have been laid in the solar park, which together exceeds the distance from Minsk to Moscow.

Velcom also built a 4.5 km long high-voltage power line with 22 supports and a transformer. This made it possible to connect the solar power plant with the Bragin substation.

PS The situation has become clearer thanks to

"We buy more expensive, we sell cheaper. Why solar power plants will not replace nuclear power plants"

An absurd situation - we buy more expensive, we sell cheaper

I want to remind you that private traders have long since calculated the benefits of such "green" projects: after all, according to the aforementioned law, we have to buy the energy generated by them at a higher price and sell it at a lower price!

Let me explain that according to the legislation on renewable energy sources, our energy system is obliged to buy solar and wind energy from private companies at higher rates. If enterprises bought energy not from the state, but directly from suppliers such as velcom, they would pay 2.7 times more.

And so it turns out that the Gomel energy system must include the purchase of such expensive energy in its costs, and then sell it to consumers at a lower price. This is a net loss! And you can't refuse - the law obliges you to buy.

All of these preferences for renewable energy have already led to the emergence of quotas, which should contain the current wave of applications for the construction of solar and wind farms.