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Lukashenko's bid to utilize Astravyets N-plant gets cold reception in Lithuania

BC,Vilnius, 07.08.2016.Print version

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.

 

 

 






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