Translated material
Fears of gas war
Lithuanians are looking for an energy cure from Russia
Lithuania draws its own conclusions from the gas scandal in relations between Russia and Ukraine. Voices are increasingly heard in the country about the need to delay the shutdown of the remaining second unit of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant, planned for 2009, until another source of energy security is found. The closure of the nuclear power plant built during Soviet times (the same type as the Chernobyl one) was a condition for Lithuania’s admission to the EU in 2004 and was not discussed until recently. However, the other day, the country's Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas held a meeting with energy specialists, at which new accents were voiced.Before this, the idea of building an alternative - more modern - nuclear power plant had been discussed in Lithuania for several years. It is persistently promoted by ex-Prime Minister and now Minister of Agriculture Kazimira Prunskienė. The President of Lithuania, Valdas Adamkus, is also an active supporter of the construction of a new nuclear power plant, saying that rising gas prices have greatly increased the urgency of this issue. Shortly before the new year, a member of the Sejm, former Minister of Industry Julius Vesialka, proposed extending the operating life of the existing reactor until 2017. The topic has already been included in the agenda of the Sejm.
Brazauskas believes that life has put forward new arguments in favor of ensuring Lithuania's energy security as quickly as possible. One of these was the failure of plans to build an energy bridge to Poland to connect the Lithuanian energy system with the Western European one. This means that with the closure of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant, Lithuania will find itself isolated and completely dependent on Russia. According to the prime minister, negotiations on this topic with the Poles have dragged on hopelessly, and even if the new Polish authorities turn out to be more accommodating, time has been lost - it is unlikely that it will be possible to build an energy bridge before the EU order on the complete closure of the outdated nuclear power plant is implemented.
At the same time, the Lithuanian prime minister referred to the protocol to the agreement on the country’s accession to the European Union (Lithuania became a member of the EU in 2004). The protocol states that in the event of disruptions in the supply of electricity before 31 December 2012, a general protection clause will come into force, providing for the right to formally ask the EU for permission to take corrective measures. It is this point that the head of the Lithuanian government proposes to take advantage of.
For example, you can ask to spend part of the funds intended for closing a nuclear power plant on the construction of an energy bridge. Or raise the issue of building a new nuclear reactor. According to Mr. Brazauskas (who has always been very wary of the idea of replacing an old station with a new one), this should be an international commercial project involving Latvia, Estonia and possibly Poland. Lithuania's participation in it could be expressed mainly in the provision of ready-made infrastructure and specialists, which remain as a legacy from the Ignalina NPP. Speaking about the time frame for the construction of a new nuclear power plant, Brazauskas mentions 2015-2017.
In this he coincides with Vesyalka, who advocates extending the operating life of the Ignalina NPP. The former Minister of Industry even proposes to make a nice gesture for this purpose and refuse the assistance allocated by the EU for the closure of the nuclear power plant. In his opinion, the current situation with gas has greatly influenced the mood in Europe, and it would be very stupid to rush to close the station when attitudes towards nuclear energy are changing in a positive direction everywhere. For example, Poland returned to the idea of building a nuclear power plant, although after the Chernobyl disaster it froze the project it had begun on the Baltic coast.
Vesyalka’s calls are based on the assertion of experts that thanks to large investments by Swedish, French, Japanese and American specialists made in the 1990s to improve the safety of the plant, the Ignalina NPP has become one of the most reliable. Like many in Lithuania, he considers the decision to close the station to be purely political, without any serious technical justification. Last year, the Ignalina NPP operated more efficiently than ever, generating 10.2 billion kWh from one power unit, while the record for two reactors was 17 billion kWh.