Lithuanian Foreign Ministry: Belarus Does not Fulfill Commitments on Astravets Nuclear Power Station

The foreign minister of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius stated that Minsk did not provide the information on safety of Astravets nuclear power plant.

He stated that at the meeting with a Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs Amos Hochstein, Lithuanian foreign policy department reports on April 1.

"Unfortunately, Lithuania has still got no reply on the ground for Astravets nuclear power station and the environmental impact. The Belarusian government does not demonstrate readiness to fulfill its promise to test the plant in unfavorable conditions," the minister says.

In Linkevičius's words, the plant is being built up 50 km far from Vilnius "without international safety standards."

Earlier ecologists required to comply with the Espoo Convention and sent an appeal the Ministry of Natural Resources of Belarus and Lithuania, and the Committee on implementation of the Espoo Convention. Environmental public expressed concern that Belarus had not yet fulfilled any paragraph of the decision. Ecologists also called to suspend the construction of Belarusian nuclear power plant.

The prime minister of Lithuania Algirdas Butkevičius stated in future his country did not plan to buy electricity in Astravets nuclear power station which located close to the border with Lithuania.

Minsk rejects these claims and announces the highest safety standards at the nuclear power station. Russian Rosatom deals with the construction of the nuclear station in Astravets.

It will consist of two power units up to 2400 MW of total power. It is planned to put the first power unit into service in 2018, and the second one in 2020.