4 October, Minsk /Lyudmila Sats - BELTA/. The draft State Programme for the Development of the Belarusian Power System for 2011-2015 will be considered at a meeting of the Presidium of the Council of Ministers of Belarus on 5 October. This was reported to a BELTA correspondent by the Office of the Council of Ministers. The draft programme has been developed in accordance with the Concept of Energy Security of Belarus. The document provides for the implementation of a set of measures, including further enhancing the reliability and efficiency of the power system through balanced modernisation and development of generating sources using modern advanced technologies and decommissioning of less economical and outdated equipment. It also plans for the renewal of the fixed assets of the power system, a reduction in the use of natural gas in the production of electric and thermal energy by diversifying the fuel and energy balance of the power system through the inclusion of coal, as well as economically justified volumes of local types of fuel, non-traditional and renewable energy sources. In addition, a reduction in the costs of production, transportation and use of thermal and electric energy is expected. New cross-border power grid projects will also be implemented, and the export of electricity will be developed. Other measures are also envisaged, the implementation of which will enhance the level of energy security of Belarus. At the same time, special attention will be paid to solving the task of increasing the energy efficiency of electric and thermal energy production. In particular, work will continue on the reconstruction of a number of power plants using new modern energy capacities, including the construction of large steam and gas power units with a capacity of 400 MW at Lukomlskaya GRES and Berezovskaya GRES, and the construction of combined heat and power plants based on existing boiler houses. In order to diversify the fuel and energy balance of the power system, it is planned to construct a coal-fired power plant in Zelva by 2015 with two power units of 460 MW each, mini-CHP plants using local fuels, and hydropower and wind power plants. Work on the construction of the NPP will also continue. -0-

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