Baltic leaders unhappy with Ignalina's slow progress

TALLINN- The Prime Ministers of Estonia andPoland have announced their dissatisfaction regarding the slow progress on Lithuania's new Ignalina power station.

"We are absolutelydissatisfied with the very slow pace of the preparations regarding the plan tobuild a new nuclear power station at Ignalina in Lithuania," Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip told reporters during avisit with Polish Prime Minister DonaldTusk.

 Ansip said that allthree Baltic authorities will meet with Polish authorities to discuss the slowprogress.

 "The slowness ofIgnalina project in Lithuania has been the only reason why Estonia has launched preparations to lookfor an option to build its own nuclear power station," Ansip said.

Ansip also commented on thePan-Baltic power grid, but said priorities lie in the the Ignalina powerstation construction.

 "We also need anenergy connection between Lithuania and Poland but a new Ignalina power station isa pre-requisite for this," said Ansip.

 Originally slated tobe opened by 2015, experts now say that the new Ignalina plant can berealistically expected to open in 2020.