The Astravyets nuclear power plant is a geopolitical project of Belarus and Russia which does not comply with international nuclear safety standards, according to a draft resolution being presented to the European Parliament.
The document was backed by the EP's Committee on Industry, Research and Energy on Thursday, with 66 votes in favour, two votes against and seven abstentions.
The EP plans to have a vote on the resolution during its plenary session on February 8–11, the EP said in a statement.
“The plant is being implemented as a geopolitical project of Belarus and Russia and its construction and future operation is a source of possible threat to the European Union and its Member States with regard to safety, health and protection of the environment,” the text reads.
The resolution also regrets that the plant's operators decided to launch commercial production of power as soon as in March 2021. Before beginning commercial operations, the Astravyets NPP must implement all safety recommendations by the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group (ENSREG), according to the document.
It also says that MEPs are concerned about the hasty commissioning of the nuclear power plant which does not comply with international environmental and nuclear safety standards, including the IAEA recommendations.
The plant's location, only about 50 kilometres from Lithuania's capital and biggest city Vilnius and close to other EU countries, is another point of concern, according to the document.
“Despite the common agreement between the Baltic countries to cease commercial exchanges of electricity with Belarus, it is still possible for electricity from Belarus to enter the EU market via the Russian grid,” the text concludes.
The Lithuanian government maintains that the Astravyets nuclear power plant, built close to the Lithuania border, was constructed in violation of safety and environmental requirements.
After Belarus launched the Astravyets NPP last November, Lithuania halted all electricity trade with the neighbouring country and has been seeking a regional and EU-wide boycott of the plant. The plant has also suffered several incidents, which were reported by non-governmental organisations and downplayed by the Minsk government.
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