Belarus, Energy, EU – Baltic States, Lithuania, Markets and Companies
International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics
Friday, 29.03.2024, 10:18
Lukashenko's bid to utilize Astravyets N-plant gets cold reception in Lithuania
Lithuania's Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius said on Friday that
Minsk should not have hopes of selling electricity from the unsafe plant.
"By violating the fundamental
international requirements, Belarus will not be trusted and should not hope to
sell electricity from the unsafe power plant," told Linkevicius.
Lithuania, adding that confidence could be boosted by independent international
supervision of the construction.
Discussions about safety of the
Astravyets utility were fueled last month following reports about tumbling of
the reactor's body during the construction work.
On Thursday, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko pledged to scrap
the body, in case even minor defects or scratches are detected.
Lithuania's Energy Minister Rokas Masiulis said that discarding the
reactor body was a normal step, adding that any other way was not possible, as
it would be dangerous.
"The ministry has already
said that the body cannot be repaired after tumbling, and in nuclear energy it
means a major hazard. I believe scrapping the reactor is a natural step," said
Masiulis .
In his words, Minsk should already
give up the body, as the crash is dangerous and not worth the risk.
Lukashenko said he had urged the
Lithuanian ambassador to "put an end to these discussions and going
against each other," calling for an agreement on electricity supplies at a
prices that Lithuania finds acceptable.
In Linkevicius' words, the
Lithuanian criticism is aimed at ensuring safety of the utility, which is being
built very close to the Lithuanian border.
"This is a basic aim to
ensure safety of the sensitive and potentially highly dangerous object, which I
hope the Belarusian leader understands," said the Lithuanian diplomacy
chief.
In his words, Lithuania is alarmed
by the public calls to build the nuclear utility as fast and as cheap as
possible, as well as the reports about possible thefts of construction
materials.
The Astravyets power plant is
built by the Russian company Rosatom, with the first reactor to be launched in
late 2018.