Expert weighs in on Ignalina NPP closure

19.04.2024

MINSK, 19 April (BelTA) - The closure of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant in Lithuania is a largely economic move, and Vilnius regularly asks the EU to increase funds for the plant’s dismantling operation. The Ignalina NPP closure effort has revealed several corruption schemes over the past 10-15 years, Pavel Yakovlev, editor-in-chief of the science and business website Atomic Energy 2.0, told BelTA’s YouTube project V Teme [On Point].

Pavel Yakovlev shared his opinion on whether Lithuania would have enough competences to carry out the proper dismantling of the nuclear power plant, which was built using the Soviet technology.

“Ignalina NPP has an advanced power unit RBMK (high-power channel reactor). This was perhaps the most progressive construction in Soviet times. Huge funds were injected, and the plant could have been still working. So could all RBMK power units. They are designed for 45 years of operation with the possibility of extension up to 60 years,” Pavel Yakovlev said.

As for the Ignalina NPP closure, the expert noted that the process is financed by the European Union. “A final storage facility is being built there, and the waste is being brought into compliance with the requirements of final disposal. However, over the past 10-15 years there have been a number of corruption scandals,” he emphasized.

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