Lithuanian Hope for Nuclear Extension Dashed by EU

Lithuania’s hopes of being allowed to extend the life of its Ignalina nuclear power plant were dashed on Wednesday by the European Commission.

In its treaty on joining the European Union in 2004, Lithuania promised to shut by the end of 2009 the second reactor at the plant, which is similar to Ukraine’s Chernobyl facility where the world’s worst nuclear disaster struck in 1986.
“There is an agreement, a legal commitment, arising from the accession treaty,” Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told a news conference after talks with Lithuanian Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilas.

“We must never compromise on safety. The treaty has to be respected,” Barroso added when asked whether Ignalina could operate longer.

Kirkilas has argued that Ignalina’s 1,300-megawatt second reactor underwent an upgrade and can operate safely, and that its closure would lead to an energy shortage in Lithuania.

Brussels experts say that to keep Ignalina open, all 27 EU members would have to agree to amend Lithuania’s accession treaty. That is an unlikely prospect considering opposition to nuclear energy among some countries, such as Austria.

Planet Ark