Lithuanian Minister Of Energy: We Drew European Commission’s Attention To NPP In Astravets

While building a NPP Belarus doesn’t comply with the international standards.

Lithuania meets unfriendly the intention of Belarus to build a nuclear power plant just 40-50 km away from Vilnius. According to the Lithuanian side, the reasons for such attitude may lie in the fact that Minsk has decided to build the NPP paying no regard to its neighbor’s opinion. Besides, it refused to adhere to the international standards while building the NPP.

Lithuanian Minister of Environment Kęstutis Trečiokas has recently said in one of his interviews that although the Belarusian authorities have answered a number of questions on the construction of the nuclear power plant in Astravets, they avoid a constructive dialogue with Vilnius.

Thus, according to the Minister, Lithuania hasn’t yet received satisfactory answers to questions on such issues as: safety of the power plant, why it was decided to build a nuclear power plant in dangerous proximity to Vilnius, and what impact of radiation the Lithuanians may face. Lithuanian Minister of Energy Rokas Masiulis commented on the plans of Belarus in his interview to charter97.org.

“We have a negative opinion on the plans of Minsk to build a NPP as close as 50 kilometers away from Vilnius. Unfortunately, the Belarusian side doesn’t adhere to the international standards while building the NPP. That’s why we put so much effort at the international meetings to show how dangerous this idea (building of the Astravets NPP) is. We managed to draw the European Commission’s attention to this issue”, – Rokas Masiulis, the Lithuanian Minister of Energy, expressed the Lithuania’s stand on this issue.

“I have a negative attitude towards the project of the NPP’s construction in Astravets Nuclear power plants are potentially dangerous objects, not to mention their safety. In addition, I am against nuclear power, as it is an outdated and inefficient technology. All the disasters have occurred with those nuclear power plants that had been claimed to be safe. Take the very same Chernobyl in Ukraine or Fukushima in Japan,” – said Thomas Tomilinas, the deputy chairman of the Union of Greens and Farmers of Lithuania. According to him, even a minor accident at a nuclear power plant in Astravets will turn the capital of Lithuania into an analogue of Pripyat (the ghost town, deserted after the Chernobyl accident).

“In case of a serious accident at the Belarusian nuclear power plant, in Vilnius we will have to pray for the wind not to bring us the radioactive dust. As far as I know, our government is fortunately working hard to stop the construction of the century initiated by Minsk. The European Commission does not remain uninvolved, too,” – Tomilinas said.