Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry has handed in a diplomatic note to Minsk following the launch of the second unit of the Astravyets nuclear power plant, located some 50km from Vilnius.
Lithuania calls on Belarus not to operate the second unit until the identified safety problems have been resolved and international nuclear safety and environmental standards and requirements are strictly observed.
According to the ministry, when picking the Astravyets site, Belarus failed to take into account the density and distribution of Lithuania’s population and the potential negative cross-border environmental impact.
Belarus has also not implemented the recommendations presented after the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group (ENSREG) experts’ “stress tests” and has failed to provide the information necessary for a more accurate assessment of the potential impact of the Belarusian nuclear power plant on Lithuania, the note reads.
Lithuania calls for transparent communication to inform the public and stakeholders about the real situation at the Belarusian NPP and incidents at the site, including accidents and unusual events, the Foreign Ministry said.
It also calls for the suspension of operations at the Astravyets NPP until all nuclear safety issues identified by international missions and review processes are resolved.
The launch of the second reactor started at the end of last year and in April, its power was increased from the minimum controlled power (1 percent) to 40 percent of its nominal power. It was officially announced in May that the power was being increased to 50 percent. Minsk plans to start commercial operation of the power unit in October.
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