Lithuania has only one nuclear facility: the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant, which consists of two Chernobyl-type 1,500 megawatt RBMK reactors. Under its EU accession agreement, Lithuania agreed to shut down Ignalina by the end of 2009. Vilnius has honored its promise by shutting down Unit 1 on 31 December 2004 and preparing for the shutdown of Unit 2, scheduled for 31 December 2009. The EU has promised to finance the closure of Ignalina, estimated at between two and three billion euros ($2.5-3.75 billion) over 30 years.
In February 2006, the leaders of the three Baltic states announced their support for an initiative to build a new nuclear power plant in Lithuania. The utilities of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania released a joint feasibility study in October 2006 calling for the construction of at least one new nuclear reactor of between 800 and 1,600 MW in Lithuania to replace Ignalina-2.[1] In March 2007, Poland agreed to participate in the project, which is estimated to cost $5 billion and planned for the Ignalina site.
Ignalina provides about 75 percent of Lithuania's energy.
Sources:
[1] "Baltic utilities say new nuclear is best new capacity choice," Nucleonics Week, 26 October 2006.
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Updated December 2007 |
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