Energy Ministry confirms readiness to discuss Belarusian nuclear power plant with Lithuania

MINSK, 25 September (BelTA) – The Belarusian Energy Ministry is ready for a dialogue with Lithuania about matters relating to the construction of the nuclear power plant near Ostrovets, BelTA learned from Lilia Dulinets, Deputy Director of the Nuclear Energy Department of the Belarusian Energy Ministry, during the Nuclear Technologies Day hosted by the Belarusian State University on 25 September.

Lilia Dulinets said: “We are always ready for a dialogue with Lithuania and we respond to all the questions we get. You know Lithuania’s attitude. Nevertheless, we carry on a dialogue. We answer all the questions in a good neighborly manner.”

According to the source, there are plans to continue discussing the Belarusian-Lithuanian dispute during the next meeting within the framework of the Espoo Convention in Geneva in February 2019. The Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Ministry oversees this matter on the Belarusian side.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant is being built using the Russian standard Generation III+ design AES-2006 near Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast. The first power-generating unit is scheduled for commissioning in 2019, with the second one to go online in 2020. The first batch of nuclear fuel is supposed to be delivered to the nuclear power plant till the end of 2018.