BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

30/07/2007

New Lithuanian nuclear plant's capacity will not exceed 3,400 MW - Lietuvos Energija

The capacity of the nuclear power plant to be built by Poland and the Baltic States to replace the Ignalina power plant in Lithuania will not exceed 3,400 megawatts (MW), Lithuanian power firm Lietuvos Energija told Interfax.

The company assumed the maximum capacity of 3,400 MW for a projection of the environmental impact of the new power plant. According to earlier political declarations, the power plant will have two reactors with total capacity of 1,600-3,200 MW.

Lietuvos Energija told Interfax Central Europe Monday no political or business decisions have yet been made regarding the eventual output of the power plant.

The new power plant will be constructed near the Ignalina nuclear power plant and Lithuania's border with Latvia and Belarus. It will be located 39 kilometers away from Ignalina, 130 kilometers from Vilnius and 30 kilometers from Daugavpils in Latvia, a report on the nuclear power plant's prospective environmental impact says.

According to the report, the power plant may have three types of reactors: boiling water reactors, pressurized water reactors and pressurized heavy water reactors.

The power plant will have three safety barriers, which will prevent accidents and reduce their negative effects. Spent nuclear fuel will first be taken to an interim storage area and then buried or processed.

Experts will also consider objections to building the nuclear power plant.

Lithuania halted one of the two Ignalina units in late 2004 in line with commitments to the European Union. The power plant will be closed down in 2009.

Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland are to jointly build a new nuclear power plant to replace Ignalina by 2015, although no concrete agreement has yet been reached.

Source:

http://gielda.wp.pl/POD,6,a,1,b,1,c,11,index.html?P%5Bnumer%5D=9066550&P%5Bobr%5D=ifx&ticaid=14320