Lithuania tightens restrictions for Astravyets-linked businesses

  • 2021-11-18
  • BNS/TBT Staff

VILNIUS – The Lithuanian parliament on Thursday tightened the restrictions for local and foreign businesses directly and indirectly linked to Belarus' Astravyets nuclear power plant to participate in the country's strategic energy projects.

The Seimas passed amendments to two laws to require that energy companies notify a special governmental commission not only of their planned transactions, but also of substantial changes to the contracts already signed. 

Companies will have to report any transactions irrespective of their value to the governmental commission vetting deals by strategic enterprises if they have information that the counterparty is involved in the Astravyets project, either directly or through intermediaries.

Currently, companies must inform the commission when the value of a planned transaction exceeds 10 percent of their revenue. 

Laurynas Kasciunas, chairman of the parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defense, said that he has been receiving information lately that energy companies are buying or plan to buy equipment, such as electricity cables and energy storage batteries, from manufacturers or suppliers involved in the Astravyets project.

Companies involved in the construction or operation of the Astravyets NPP should not be awarded contracts in Lithuania, because the Seimas has declared the nuclear power facility to be unsafe and a threat to Lithuania's national security, environment and public health, according to the MP.