Belarus-Lithuania nuclear power consultations scheduled for May

Belarus and Lithuania plan to conduct constructions on the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant (NPP) in May, BelTA learnt from Deputy Energy Minister of Belarus Mikhail Mikhadyuk.

“We have agreed to hold the consultations in May 2013. The Belarusian side will provide answers to Lithuania’s questions,” the representative of the ministry said. In his words, the answers have already been prepared, translated into Lithuanian. They will be sent to Lithuania next week. After Lithuanian experts study them, the parties will meet for the consultations in Lithuania.

According to Mikhail Mikhadyuk, the answers to Lithuania’s questions had been sent earlier as well. They were returned back however. Today it is possible that the two countries have reached understanding, the deputy minister said.

It has been earlier reported that Lithuania is interested, first of all, in the feasibility of the choice to build the plant in Ostrovets as well as its radioactive effect on the territory and people of Lithuania.

On 18 April Belarus Premier Mikhail Myasnikovich, while on his visit to Klaipeda for the Belarusian-Lithuanian economic forum, stated that the parties considered the issues related to the NPP construction in Belarus. The Belarusian side invited Lithuanian construction companies to partake in the project.

After the meeting with his Belarusian counterpart, Lithuanian PM Algirdas Butkevicius noted that Belarus is open to Lithuania in all the matters relating to the construction of the Ostrovets nuclear power plant, and that Lithuania will get all the answers to their questions about the environmental impact of the nuclear power plant in the future.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant will have two power-generating units with the total capacity of up to 2,400MW (1,200MW each). It will be built at the Ostrovets site in Grodno Oblast. The design AES-2006 that fully meets international norms and IAEA recommendations has been chosen for the Belarusian project. The general contractor is the Russian company OAO NIAEP – ZAO Atomstroyexport.