Russia's nuclear fuel company TVEL has said it is ready to work with Belarus to extend the time between fuel reloading at the country's first nuclear power plant to 18-24 months.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said the country had "asked the Russians, if possible, to build a second power plant", according to the official Belta news agency's report on a speech made to the Federation Council during his official visit to Russia.

Deputy Energy Minister Denis Moroz has said that a report will be drawn up next year on the options of a second nuclear power plant or a third unit at the existing plant in Belarus.

President Alexander Lukashenko told International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi that Belarus would not "in our worst nightmare" seize Chernobyl and then be answerable for it.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has appointed a new energy minister, saying there is "plenty of work ... particularly ... regarding our plans to build or not to build a new nuclear power plant".

Belarusian Energy Minister Viktor Karankevich and Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto have held talks and agreed on the next steps in cooperation over their nuclear energy plants.

The Belarus council of ministers has ratified protocol amendments which allow extension of the warranty period from those in the original 2011 intergovernmental agreement with Russia for the construction of the country's nuclear power plant.

A multipurpose nuclear research reactor is one of the possible results of a memorandum of understanding signed between Russia and Belarus to deepen cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear technology.

Belarus is considering building a second nuclear power plant, or a third unit at its existing one, and could become one of the leading countries in terms of the proportion of its energy being nuclear-generated, Energy Minister Viktor  Karankevich has said.