National News

Government of Belarus approves measures to fulfil Directive No. 3

The government of Belarus has approved measures meant to fulfil Directive No. 3, which regulates energy saving and rational use of resources. The decision is laid down by the Council of Ministers’ resolution No. 1122. BelTA learnt from representatives of the Council of Ministers Office, the resolution provides for a comprehensive approach towards reaching the designated frugality and saving targets. The measures concentrate on hitting the Directive-regulated quantity targets, including the decrease in the energy intensity of the Gross Domestic Product. In 2010 the energy intensity is to be reduced by at least 31% in comparison with the figure registered in 2005, in 2015 — 50%, 2020 — at least 60%. The resolution also lists innovation and investment projects designed to decrease the consumption of energy and materials in specific companies as well as decrease waste products, loss of crude materials at various stages of the manufacturing process. Apart from that, the fulfilment of the measures will allow more fully utilise secondary resources, locally available fuels and renewable energy sources. In particular, the resolution lists projects for modernising basic production assets of the Belarusian power grid: reconstruction of steam turbines at power units No. 2 and 4 of Lukoml State District Power Plant, the installation of a 230MW gas-vapour unit at Minsk Combined Heat Power Plant No. 3 and No. 5 as well as other facilities, the construction of hydropower plants and wind turbine towers. A Belarusian nuclear power station is supposed to be designed and built in 2009-2020. In the next few years Belarus will start producing pellets made of waste wood, mixed wood and peat, and will set up effective installations for producing bioethanol and biodiesel fuel. Moreover, there are plans to start up the production of equipment and components for wind energy and biogas plants as well as photocells for solar power plants. There are plans to switch more equipment used by the municipal housing economy and other industries to using locally available fuels. A section of innovation and investment projects is aimed at diversifying supplies of oil, natural gas, electricity and coal to Belarus. The resolution provides for reworking the existing underground natural gas storage facilities, petroleum products storage facilities and building new ones. Apart from that, the resolution approves a programme for developing the system of technical rate setting, standardisation and conformance confirmation in the power engineering industry. The government also set expected amounts of fuel energy resources to be saved, local fuels to be used, targeted consumption of secondary energy resources, unconventional and renewable energy resources in 2007-2010.