TALLINN - Estonia will decide whether to take part in Lithuania’s Visaginas nuclear power plant (NPP) project when it can assess the profitability of its potential contribution, based on the construction plan, said Prime Minister Andrus Ansip, reports Bloomberg. “Profitability is the key issue for us,” he told a news conference in Tallinn on May 10.
Last weekend, Lithuanian Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius was on a working visit to Tallinn where he participated in a traditional conference of Lennart Meri, first president of Estonia since its re-established independence, to discuss prospects for European energy security. At the discussion ‘Power Plays: Prospects for European Energy Security,’ the PM presented the objectives of Lithuania’s energy security. “We are seeking to end the dependence on the monopolized suppliers and to open the market, as this would translate into the optimal price for Lithuanian consumers,” Kubilius said, reports ELTA.
The prime minister pointed out to the participants of the conference that the construction of the NPP reflects regional trends as nuclear energy is increasingly developing in the Baltic Sea region. He referred to Finland as an example, where 2 nuclear power plants (4 units) are operating, and by 2014 another unit will start its operation. The government of Finland has given the green light for the construction of two new nuclear power plants, which are currently being designed. It is forecast that in 2020, 60 percent of all energy will be produced by nuclear energy in Finland.
Lithuania wants to cut its dependence on electricity imports from Russia after closing the Soviet-era Ignalina facility at the end of 2009. Neighboring Latvia and Estonia rely less on energy imports because of hydro and oil shale resources. The Lithuanian government plans to build the 1,300-megawatt reactor in Visaginas by 2020.
Sources:
baltictimes
baltictimes
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