Hopes high for Ignalina signatures

  • 2007-10-02
  • From wire reports
VILNIUS - Lithuania's Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilasbelieves that Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland will sign an agreementon the construction of new nuclear power plant next week.

"I think that currently we have no extraordinary disputable questions;this could be a declaration or any other document, we could sign it. As youknow, we once tried to do that. Yet, the attempt was unsuccessful due to apolitical crisis in Poland," Kirkilas told journalists, Oct 2.

The prime minister added that he would also raise the issue at a meeting with his Latvian and Estonian counterparts this week. "I think we will try to discuss that,since the leaders of Latvia and Estonia will also attend the forum [theenergy security conference in Vilnius on Oct. 10-11]. I cannot predictwhether we will succeed. The impression is that Poland is ready to sign."

"There are numerous questions to solve; the first is an environemental assessment. Much will depend on the choice of reactor as the period forreactor construction required by individual companies varies greatly, withthe difference being almost a year. Our goal is the year 2015, and theactual factors are another question," Kirkilas said commenting on suggestions that the new nuclear power plant would not be ready by 2015.

The prime ministers of three Baltic countries and Poland planned to signa declaration on the construction of new nuclear power plant early in July.However, Polish government leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski then called off hisscheduled visit to Vilnius to attend to matters in Poland.

Lithuania expects to control 34 percent of new nuclear power plant,with other three countries each holding a 22 percent stake.