Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry has handed over a diplomatic note of protest to Minsk, demanding that it immediately halt the operation of Astravyets nuclear power plant, located some 50km from Vilnius, until all nuclear safety issues identified by international missions are resolved.
Lithuania’s move comes in response to reports that Belarus is preparing to connect the nuclear facility’s Unit 2 to the grid, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
“Belarus prepares to launch the second defective nuclear power plant unit, keeping incidents and defects secret from the public, while the Russian president threatens to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus. It shows dictatorships’ irresponsible treatment of nuclear power and poses a nuclear threat to the entire region,” Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said in a statement.
Belarus still needs to resolve safety issues affecting the NPP project, such as its impact on the environment and residents of Lithuania, ensuring a safety culture, and implementing international recommendations, the statement reads.
According to Lithuania’s intelligence, Belarus concealed incidents and defects in the reactor systems in the first and second units of Astravyets NPP in 2022, resulting in the halt of the first unit’s operation for more than half a year and a delay of the launch of the second unit.
More technical defects will likely be discovered when the second unit starts operating, Lithuania believes. In addition, Belarus fails to inform neighbouring countries about the actual state of the Belarusian NPP, which justifiably reinforces concerns and feeds public fear, the ministry said.
Unit 1 of Astravyets NPP was built in 2020. Lithuania, one of the project’s biggest critics, insists the construction involved flagrant violations of technological and environmental standards.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
