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Our country has recognized that the two-block Astrava nuclear power plant is unsafe by law, posing a threat to national security, the environment, and public health.
Belarus has violated certain articles of the ESPO (United Nations Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context) during the construction of the nuclear power plant.
The “Lithuanian Energy Security Annual Review 2015-2016” prepared by Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuanian Energy Institute, Energy Security Research Center indicates that challenges for Lithuania’s energy and national security arise from three reasons.
“The most important of them is the construction site of the Astrava nuclear power plant, which is concerned about the drinking water of Vilnius, the eastern districts and Lithuania. Another aspect is nuclear safety. The Astrava nuclear power plant violates the provisions of the Aarhus and ESPO conventions, there have been many incidents on the construction site and attempts have been made to cover them up. Finally, the political challenges. There is reason to believe that the construction of the Astrava nuclear power plant is one of the tools of Russia’s foreign policy, which is trying to destroy Lithuania’s strategic energy projects, “the review said.
The most important of these is the construction site of the Astrava nuclear power plant, which is causing concern in Vilnius, the eastern districts and Lithuania’s drinking water. Another aspect is nuclear safety.
A Russian company is building
The construction of a nuclear power plant in Belarus began to be publicly discussed a few years ago. Of the several sites considered, two in the Mogilev region and Astrava in the Grodno region, some 50 km from the Lithuanian state border, the last option was chosen.
In October 2011, a contract for the construction of a power plant was signed with Atomstrojeksport, a Russian state nuclear power corporation. Russia has pledged $ 10 billion to build the Astrava nuclear power plant. AMERICAN DOLLAR.
Construction of the power plant started in 2013.
Conservative A. Kubilius, who was then Prime Minister, visited the construction site in 2010 during a bicycle trip.
As the BNS news agency wrote at the time, he explained that Belarus’s plans for nuclear construction remain quite unclear at the moment..
Photo of the European People’s Group in the European Parliament / A. Kubilius
He mentioned that some preparations were being made in the Astrava area, but the Belarusians did not convince him that all the plans were finally ready.
Last year, the current head of government, S. Skvernelis, hoped that the Astravas nuclear power plant would not be put into operation.
On March 7 last year, he sent a letter to Belarus Prime Minister Sergei Rumas proposing to convert the nuclear power plant into a gas plant.
Photo by Sigismund Gedvila / 15min / Saulius Skvernelis
S.Rumasas replied to S.Skvernelis that the Astravas nuclear power plant project is being completed and its transformation into a gas power plant is not technically and economically viable..
Not a single incident
During the entire construction period of the Astrava nuclear power plant, several incidents were recorded, during which workers were killed.
For example, during the accident in May 2016, the power plant under construction collapsed the supporting structures.. Minsk avoided reporting incidents.
Photo from BelAEC’s Facebook account / The first CN Astravo reactor was dressed in a protective “hat”
In May, Lithuania signed an agreement with Belarus on early notification of nuclear accidents.
In February-March, the Department of Nuclear and Radiological Protection (Gosatomnadzor) of the Belarusian Ministry of Emergency Situations inspected the readiness of the Astrava nuclear power plant to accept nuclear fuel.
On May 6, the Belarusian Ministry of Energy announced the arrival of nuclear fuel for the first reactor at the Astrava nuclear power plant..
The report indicated that “the necessary technical preparation of the facilities, equipment, systems and elements of the plant has been ensured, and personnel have been trained in the safe handling of new nuclear fuel.”
That same day, the Ministry of Health announced that the 4 million purchased in December had arrived in Lithuania. iodine tablets.
SAM / Lithuania photo received 4 million LTL on commission. iodine tablets
The consignment was delivered to the Health Emergencies Center and it was planned to distribute the pills to the population before the start of the Astrava nuclear power plant in Belarus.
Poland supports
Minsk has repeatedly explained that the electricity produced at the Astrava nuclear power plant will be exported to Europe.
Algirdas Butkevičius, who served as Prime Minister in 2015, stated that Lithuania would never buy electricity produced at this power station.
Mr. Skvernel recently received the assurance that Poland would continue to support this position of our state from the Prime Minister of the neighboring country, Mateusz Morawieckis.
Photo by Julius Kalinskas / 15min / Matthew Morawieckis
“M. Morawieckis clearly confirmed Poland’s support for Lithuania’s position on the immediate implementation of the synchronization project and the non-purchase of electricity from the unsafe Astrava nuclear power plant.” Poland is interested in the fact that electricity produced in power plants unsafe in third countries does not enter the market, so they support our position to sign a political declaration between the Baltic states, “said the prime minister on Facebook.
Morawieckis clearly confirmed Poland’s support for Lithuania’s position on the implementation of the emergency synchronization project and the non-purchase of electricity from the insecure Astrava nuclear power plant.
However, it is not yet possible to reach an agreement with the other Baltic countries with which Lithuania belongs to the BRELL ring (Russia and Belarus also belong. And the electricity produced in the BRELL ring countries circulates through all its member states).
Although Latvia states that it supports Lithuania’s wish not to buy electricity produced at the Astrava nuclear power plant, it does not want to commit to it.
Recognized as a threat
In 2017, the Seimas passed a law declaring the nuclear power plant under construction in Astrave unsafe, posing a threat to national security, the environment, society and health.
Luke April / 15min photo / Rally in front of the Astrava nuclear power plant
In May, the Seimas passed a resolution on the threat posed by the Astrava nuclear power plant. Calls on the government to take immediate action to prevent Belarusian electricity from entering the electricity market of our country.
At the same time, it calls on the European Union (EU) to take a legally binding decision on the threat posed to the EU population by the Astrava nuclear power plant and to take appropriate action with regard to Belarus and Russia.
The government is proposed to seek the imposition of sanctions by the Lithuanian allies on the builder of the Astrava nuclear power plant and other companies and intermediaries involved in the construction and sale of “dirty” energy from the Astrava nuclear power plant.
Photo by Scanpix / ITAR-TASS / Alexander Lukashenko
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko urges not to tell the country how to ensure the safety of the Astrava nuclear power plant..
“The importance of the Belarusian nuclear power plant in ensuring energy security and for the entire economy of our country is extremely high. The development of science and technology is related to it. And we do not have to point the finger at security problems “, said.
The importance of the Belarusian nuclear power plant in ensuring energy security and for the entire economy of our country is extremely high. The development of science and technology is related to it. And we don’t have to point and point fingers at security issues.
Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Mackey explained to the authorities responsible for nuclear energy that he had not heard that the power plant would be unsafe.
“Regarding the construction of a nuclear power plant in Belarus, our actions are transparent,” he said in Brussels last year.
In 2018, the European Commission stated that it was convinced that the Astrava nuclear power plant had passed the so-called stress test, but a number of recommendations were made to Belarusians.. True, it was based on stress tests conducted by the Rosatom subsidiary.
This was bad news for Vilnius, who expected more support in the fight against the power plant that is being built in Belarus.
As the SNB quoted the Belarusian Ministry of Energy, The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) issued 11 recommendations and eight proposals to strengthen its safety after the Pre-OSART mission visit to the Astrava nuclear power plant..
Photo by Luke April / 15min / Protest to the presidency of the Astrava nuclear power plant
Lithuania has formed a public initiative Sąjūdis against the Astravas nuclear power plant, which seeks to prevent the electricity generated by this nuclear power plant from entering the EU market, suspend the development of the power plant, and Lithuania and the EU to take all the measures to ensure the safety of the power plant.
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