Energy in Belarus

The Astravets Nuclear Power Plant is under construction, with the first unit of two expected to come online in 2020.{{cite news |url=https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Hot-tests-completed-at-Ostrovets-unit-1 |title=Hot tests completed at Ostrovets unit 1 |publisher=World Nuclear News |date=16 April 2020 |access-date=3 May 2020}}

The country is one of the world’s largest importers of natural gas with estimates for 2018 being about 17 Mtoe (20 billion cubic metres [bcm]) of natural gas, making it the leading importer among the so-called EU4Energy countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. In 2018 almost all generated electricity came from natural gas (97%, or 39 terawatt hours [TWh]). In 1990, the IEA reported natural gas as constituting 52% of electricity generation, with oil generating 48%.{{citation| url=http://www.iea.org/statistics/statisticssearch/report/?country=BELARUS&product=electricityandheat&year=1990| title=IEA statistics: Belarus 1990| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022152836/http://www.iea.org/statistics/statisticssearch/report/?country=BELARUS&product=electricityandheat&year=1990|archive-date=2014-10-22 }}

There are two large gas pipes running through Belarus, the Yamal–Europe pipeline and Northern Lights. In addition there is the Minsk–Kaliningrad Interconnection that connects to Kaliningrad.

In 2021 18.64 billion m3 were consumed with 0.06 billion produced, the rest imported.

File:Major gas and oil pipelines in Belarus.png

Belarus is a large oil refiner, listed 36th in the world, at 19 Mt of oil products in 2018 by the IEA. It has two refineries and oil pipelines built during the Soviet era including the Mozyr Oil Refinery.

Oil consumed in 2021 amounted to 49.13m barrels with 12.52 m barrels produced, the rest imported.{{cite web |title=Energy consumption in Belarus |url=https://www.worlddata.info/europe/belarus/energy-consumption.php |access-date=11 November 2023}}

{{main|Renewable energy in Belarus}}

Renewable energy generation accounted for 6% of Belarus’s energy in 2018, rising to 8% in 2020, mostly from biofuels and waste. Renewables share in electricity generation was 2% in 2018 (0.8 TWh).

Renewable energy includes wind, solar, biomass and geothermal energy sources.

Because non-nuclear thermal power plants are ramped up and down depending on heat requirements, and nuclear is not very flexible, increased battery storage has been suggested.{{Cite web|title=How the energy system of Belarus should develop in order to stay beneficial. Forecast|url=https://ecoidea.me/en/article/4676|access-date=2021-12-23|website=ecoidea.me}}

Fossil fuelled heat is heavily subsidized.{{Cite web|title=Renewables Readiness Assessment: Belarus|url=https://www.irena.org/publications/2021/Jul/Renewables-Readiness-Assessment-Belarus|access-date=2021-12-23|website=/publications/2021/Jul/Renewables-Readiness-Assessment-Belarus}}{{Rp|page=62}}

{{Commons category|Energy in Belarus }}

{{Portal|Energy|Belarus}}

• [https://nadoloni.com Map of Belarusian power grids] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707082150/https://nadoloni.com/ |date=2017-07-07 }}
• Druzhba pipeline
• 2004 Russia–Belarus gas dispute
• 2007 Russia–Belarus energy dispute

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