Grybauskaite calls for nuclear plant 'pause'

VILNIUS - Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite has called for a "pause" in the country's plans to contruct a new nuclear power plant following the collapse of the company tender to build the plant.

"I don’t mean in any way that nuclear energy should be put aside, but perhaps now we’ll have to make a certain pause, rethink and wait for a more favourable international situation," she said in a radion interview on Dec. 14.

“The fact that we practically haven’t received real proposals and the last investor refused to implement the project only shows the current international situation isn’t favourable,” she said.

The tender to build Lithuania's new nuclear power plant - a joint project between the Baltic States and Poland - fell through last week after a major participant pulled out of the bidding.

Lithuania is building the plant to replace the one at Ignalina, which was shut down at the start of the year as per conditions in the country's EU entry agreement.

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Foreign minister Audronius Azubalis , meanwhile, has said he is "worried" by Belarus' plans to build its own plant just 50 km from the Lithuanian capital.

In an interview with EurActiv, Azubalis said Belarus should follow the same standards of transparency and international good practice as other countries.

"Any country would [voice concerns] if it were unable to find the proper answers to its concerns according to the Espoo Convention [the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context] and according to IAEA requirements," Azubalis said.