Construction of Visaginas NPP could be launched in 2015

  • 2012-05-14

VILNIUS - The construction of Visaginas nuclear power plant could start in 2015, the plant's operations could be launched five or six years later, Lithuanian Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius said in an interview with the Estonian business newspaper Aripaev.

Talks will continue until 2015, drafting projects and specifying technical nuances, said Kubilius.

The final decision on actual investments will also be made then and the plant's construction will be launched, added the Lithuanian prime minister.

The project's economic gains are considerable, emphasized Kubilius.

As reported, on the political level, the project's research started in 2006, when Baltic prime ministers met in the Lithuanian town of Trakai. Poland also planned to participate in the project, but eventually withdrew from it. Last year, Lithuania chose "Hitachi Ltd." and "Hitachi GE Nuclear Energy" as the project's strategic investors.

A 20 percent stake in the new Visaginas nuclear plant, which the mass media have mentioned previously, would be sufficient for the Latvian power utility "Latvenergo," the company's CEO Aris Zigurs previously told Nozare.lv.

Estoniacould get a 22 percent share in the project, Lithuania 38 percent and "Hitachi", the strategic investor, 20 percent.