[IRAN] Press TV
February 2, 2008
Economy ministers from Poland and the three Baltic states may meet next week to discuss plans to construct a new nuclear power plant.
The ministers are due to meet on February 4 in Vilnius, Lithuania’s capital.
The three Baltic EU countries of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia hope to link up their electric grids to Poland’s and build a new Ignalina power plant in Lithuania in order to offset the region’s dependence on Russian energy sources, DPA reported.
This project has unfortunately been plagued with delays just two years before the current power plant in northeastern Lithuania was supposed to be shut down, which would have left the region dependent on Russia for its energy.
Lithuania has been hoping to receive approval from the EU to keep on using the power plant beyond 2009, when it is supposed to be decommisioned.
According to a statement from Latvia’s ministry of economy, the ministers from the four countries will talk about the nuclear plant and two power bridges at the meeting in Vilnius on February 4. They are also expected to sign an agreement confirming their interest in the project.
The “power bridge”, is the 300-million-euro link between Poland and Lithuania and another link between Sweden and Lithuania which serves as a crucial part of the project to build the new power plant.
Meanwhile, the Lithuanian parliament on Friday approved the creation of a complex national power company which would enable Lithuania to raise money for its share of the new nuclear power plant. All that remains now, is for the legislation to go before President Valdas Adamkus for his signature.
Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland are planning to build a 3,200 to 3,400-megawatt-capacity nuclear power plant near the existing one in Ignalina.
