Baltic States – CIS, Belarus, Energy, Legislation, Lithuania

“Of course, our views are somewhat different, in particular as regards the impact on residents and the capital of Vilnius. Belarus colleagues see certain things differently. All differences in views are being recorded. The site has been chosen in the immediate proximity of our biggest city, which means that safety actions in case of an incident must be envisaged. Meanwhile, Belarus colleagues take a simpler approach, that incidents won’t be major – just about average,” Vitalijus Auglys, director of the Pollution Prevention Department at the Lithuanian Environment Ministry, told the LRT radio on Wednesday morning.

Some of the issues were difficult to resolve in the course of the current two-day round of consultations between Lithuanian and Belarus experts as the construction on the nuclear facility was in a too advanced state, he said.

“They’re trying to convince us that the process of construction is safe. They’re trying to assure and promise that everything’ll be fine… However, we’d like those assessments to take greater account of concerns and potential risks. Another problem is that construction is continued. What will they do if the IAEA and international missions says that something should be changed or brought into conformity?” Auglys said.

On Wednesday, experts would discuss seismic and geological issues as well as the issues of pollution of the river Neris and radiological readiness, he added.

Vilnius is the most ardent critic of the Astravyets project, saying that Belarus fails to ensure safety at the plant that is being built just 20 kilometers from the border and 50 kilometers from the Lithuanian capital.

Minsk rejects Lithuania's criticism, saying that it will ensure the highest safety standards at the facility, which is being built by Russia's nuclear energy corporation Rosatom.