France keen on joining Lithuania's new nuclear reactor project

  • 2008-07-03
  • Staff and wire reports
VILNIUS - A top French government official has said that France was interested in taking part in Lithuania's new nuclear power plant if one of the exiting partners dropped out of the project.
Lithuanian Economy Minister Vytas Navickas told reporters that Jean-Louis Borloo, France's minister of state for ecology, energy and development, suggested that French interests could participate in the multi-billion euro project.

Currently Lithuania is planning the 3,200 megawatt plant together with Estonia, Latvia and Poland, but it is possible one of the countries 's Estonia or Poland 's could drop out.
"The (French) minister said that if, at some stage, an opportunity arose or some participant opted to exit, but not for this purpose, then they propose that they, their companies could join this project," Navickas told reporters June 26.

Navickas said France's position showed that the project was interesting to other countries and that could encourage Latvia, Estonia and Poland to take more concrete actions regarding their participation in the project.
Poland has said it wants a greater share of output at the plant, while Estonia has hinted that it is mulling over its own nuclear reactor that it would build together with Finland. Polish officials are reportedly also considering the nuclear option.

France, which took over the rotating EU presidency this week, is the most nuclear power-reliant country in the world. Lithuania is second.
France's Areva, which is building Finland's new reactor in Olkiluoto, has already expressed interest in the new nuclear power plant, which will be built in Ignalina, site of the current Soviet-era reactor.
"We are ready to help and to join the process of the new atomic power station construction in Lithuania as shareholders, but only if Lithuania has problems with its current partners," Borloo said.

No doubt the expression of interest from France could help Vilnius negotiate more effectively with Warsaw, which wants a minimum 1,000 megawatts of output 's if not 20 percent more 's from the planned plant, which is not likely to be operational until 2018.

As a condition for joining the European Union, Lithuania agreed to shut down its existing reactors in late 2009. However, Vilnius is now lobbying Brussels to get an extension on the shutdown, possibly until 2012.
Borloo said France would work out its position on an Ignalina extension this summer or fall. He said that Lithuania had a "long, difficult task ahead" after committing itself to closing the Chernobyl-type reactor, which is considered unsafe.

"Lithuania intends to carry out an environmental impact study in August. Then we will be able to speak specifically," Borloo told reporters after meeting with Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilas.