VILNIUS - Lithuania's much-ballyhooed
dream of building a new nuclear
plant has taken a couple of new
twists after President Valdas
Adamkus hinted that Ukraine
could have a role in the nascent
project and a leading Estonian
political party suggested holding a
referendum on whether the country
should continue participating.
While in Kiev for a brief visit,
Adamkus reiterated that
Lithuania was willing to take on
any "competent partner" in the 4
billion euro project that aims to
replace the current facility in
Ignalina, which is slated to close
in 2009.
"Ukraine asked right away
about the chances for Ukraine to
take part in the construction of
reactor number three 's whether
there are certain criteria, have we
already made our choice,"
Adamkus told journalists.
"My answer was very clear 's it
is absolutely open for every competent
partner wishing to participate
in the construction, the most
important thing is that everything
should be very clean, open
and we are announcing the tender
without any restrictions whatsoever,"
he said.
Adamkus was instrumental in
helping Ukraine escape a political
crisis in 2004 and takes an active
interest in that country's attempts
to integrate with the West.
The announcement surprised
many leaders, both at home and in
neighboring countries, particularly
given the extreme political
instability in Ukraine.
Lithuanian Prime Minister
Gediminas Kirkilas expressed
caution, saying any decision on
Ukraine would have to be made by
the project's four participants 's
the Baltics and Poland 's which
have largely agreed on ownership
stakes (though a final deal has not
been signed).
Kirkilas did admit that
Ukraine could participate in the
plant project by buying electricity.
Latvian Foreign Minister
Artis Pabriks said it was "premature"
to discuss involving new
partner-countries. He recalled the
three-sided agreement signed by
the Baltic states' utility companies,
saying that a new partner
could only join if all three countries
gave their approval.
As regards a new country joining,
he said, "Both positive and
negative aspects are possible here.
Of course, the project can become
larger if there are more partners.
At the same time, problems with
coordination are possible."
Pabriks stressed that the vision
for a new atomic plant "should
start with strategic thinking 's
what do we want, how do we want
to achieve it and what will it be."
"These are the three main
questions. In my opinion, there is
no use in increasing the number
of partners without going forward
step by step," he said.
As far as strategic thinking,
in Estonia there are forces giving
pause for this very reason. The
Center Party, a powerful opposition
party, has proposed holding a
national referendum on the country's
participation in the nuclear
plant, which will be built in
northeastern Lithuania.
The party, working in conjunction
with the People's Union
and the Green Party, both of
which are also in the opposition,
has proposed holding the referendum
on March 2, 2008.
Valdur Lahtvee, a Green
Party MP, said that Prime
Minister Andrus Ansip does not
have the mandate on behalf of
Estonia to sign onto an atomic
power plant agreement. He was
quoted as accusing the government
of being in the pocket of
Eesti Energia, the state-owned
utility, and that any role in
Lithuania's nuclear power ambitions
would be to the detriment of
Estonia.
Commenting on the referendum,
which must be approved by
a majority in Estonia's
Parliament, Lithuania's Kirkilas
has said he is confident that if
Estonia held a referendum the
result would be a "yes" vote.
"As far as I know, the
[Estonian] public's attitude
toward nuclear energy is similar
to that in Lithuania, Poland and
Latvia," Kirkilas told Ziniu
Radijas on Aug. 16.
Kirkilas said the proposed referendum
would unlikely have an
affect on the project's implementation.
"Much of the work is
already in the hands of energy
companies, and this is the bottom
line. Laws have been passed, and
basically all political conditions
have been created," he said.
The new plant, which could
have either one or two reactors, is
targeted to come online in 2015,
though there are doubts
whether that deadline could be
met.
