30 years after Chernobyl. Belarus must ensure safety of Astravets NPP – Luthuanian PM
On the day of anniversary of the Chernobyl tragedy Lithuanian prime minister Algirdas Butkevičius has expressed concern about the construction of a nuclear power plant in Belarus.
“Lithuania is seriously concerned about its own safety situation and the safety of its neighbors in the European Union. Belarus must ensure that the safety of the nuclear power plant which is being built just 50 kilometers from Vilnius, will be provided under strict compliance with all international requirements and recommendations for nature protection and nuclear safety,” said Algirdas Butkevičius.
According to the Lithuanian Prime Minister, every country should learn the bitter lessons of nuclear disasters and develop nuclear technology in accordance with international nuclear security and defense standards.
Read also: Construction supervisors stealing cement, superiors stealing budget money – Astravets NPP builder
The NPP first power-generating unit is scheduled for commissioning in 2018, the second one – in 2020. The construction of two nuclear reactors is provided in the agreement reached by Belarus and Russia, the reactors being supplied by Atomstroyexport, Russia. The project faced opposition at home and abroad on both safety and political grounds.
At the end of 2015, Lithuania’s Energy Minister Rokas Masiulis tried to talk neighboring countries out of purchasing energy from nuclear power stations that are being constructed in the Belarusian town of Astravets and Russia’s Kaliningrad region. “The energy being produced in violation of international regulation of nuclear safety, security and inter-state environmental impact assessment should not be accepted in the European Union, he said.
Read also: Waste from Astravets NPP to be stored in Belarus for 10 years
