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Algirdas Stumbras: Information campaign against BelNPP in Lithuania is due to forthcoming elections
21.06.2016
The information campaign against the Belarusian nuclear power plant has been launched in Lithuania because of the forthcoming election, Algirdas Stumbras, one of the leading Lithuanian specialists in the field of energy, Honorary Member of the Lithuanian Committee of the World Energy Council, said in an interview with the Eurasia. Expert portal, BelTA has learned.
Algirdas Stumbras noted that this problem has been made the hot topic in Lithuania because of the elections. Some need a slogan to draw more voters. “Once the elections are over, the disputes will fade away. After all, Belarusians are open and do invite to ask questions, to learn more. But they are urged to provide evidence on the silver plate. You can always make a thousand different complaints about the quality of any construction project. The construction of Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant, for example, was not very smooth. Some parts had to be redone. It's construction, which employs several thousand people. We need to have a look at the bigger picture, to see whether there is oversight or not. As far as I know, the Belarusians are paying serious attention to safety,” Algirdas Stumbras said.
The expert considers that Lithuania will buy electricity from Belarus if the price is good. “If we refuse to buy energy from Belarus, it will be a political decision. Then we will have to buy expensive transit energy from Estonia or Finland,” Algirdas Stumbras noted. Meanwhile, Lithuania cannot fully cover its needs by buying electricity from the Nordic countries due to the transmission lines. “We will have to buy electricity from Belarus. Economy should not be confused with politics. If it is profitable, then we need to buy. Fuel in Russia and Belarus is three times cheaper than in Lithuania, which means electricity there is cheaper as well,” Algirdas Stumbras said.
He stressed that the Belarusians are doubly interested in the safety of their nuclear power plant and will never take the risk, given their historical experience. According to the expert, the reactors of the Belarusian NPP fully comply with all requirements of the European Union. “The BelNPP will operate new safe reactors. Therefore, Lithuania’s criticism is devoid of any logic,” he said.
The claims that 50km between the BelNPP from Vilnius is too short a distance are unconvincing, Algirdas Stumbras said. “Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant is about 30km away from Daugavpils. And they put forward proposals to build a new nuclear power plant there although the distance is much shorter than that between the NPP in Belarus and Vilnius, and even between the plant and the Lithuanian border,” the expert noted.
In Western Europe it is difficult to comply with the requirement that there should be no major cities in the radius of 30km from a nuclear power plant, Algirdas Stumbras said. For example, there is a NPP with an old reactor 10km away from Luxembourg, and such examples are very many.
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