Message from the Presidency: preparing for the launch of Astrava will cost Lithuania 135 million euros Business

“Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a need to renew our existing reserves. There are other important elements that must ensure civil security and must be prepared for it as soon as possible,” said Darius Kuliešius, Senior Advisor to the President on Security National, after the Council meeting.

“At the meeting it was agreed that it was necessary to provide funds and acquire all the necessary equipment,” he added.

Interior Minister Rita Tamašunienė confirmed that after receiving the funds, it would be used to buy an intelligence helicopter, food supplies, clothing, so-called cleaning teams and means to relocate the population to safe areas.

According to D. Kuliešius, the President’s adviser, at the meeting of the State Defense Council it was agreed that the Baltic States should seek an agreement so that unsafe electricity produced in third countries does not enter the Baltic market.

According to him, this will be achieved “by guaranteeing the independence of the Lithuanian energy system and implementing other measures that guarantee greater security of our electrical systems.”

D. Kuliešius reiterated that the Astravas nuclear power plant represents a threat to Lithuania’s national security due to unsafe construction.

“Our goal is to respond and be prepared,” said the president’s adviser.

Belarus promises to launch Astrava NPP in August. According to Lithuanian energy companies, Belarusians should start marketing the electricity from this power plant approximately six months after its start-up.

€ 135 million – for helicopter, food, clothing

Interior Minister R.Tamašunienė announced that to fully prepare for the commissioning of the Astravas nuclear power plant from the point of view of civil protection, it will be necessary to invest 135 million LTL. euros

“To date, we estimate that such preparations, which would ensure the operation and interoperability of all institutions in a 14-day period, would cost 135 million.” Said the Minister.

“In the new (2021 – 15 minutes) will provide sufficient attention to civil protection in the budget, “he added.

Spokesperson for the Minister Božena Zaborovska-Zdanovič 15 minutes He clarified that such need for funds is presented to the Government, established for several years. Most of the need would come from the purchase of an intelligence helicopter that could monitor the Astravas nuclear power plant from the territory of Lithuania.

R.Tamašunienė names who still needs to invest additional money.

“We are talking about food supplies, we are talking about cleaning equipment, we are talking about reorganizing the population, we are talking about placing them in safe places. We have to deal with this reserve and we have presented a concrete plan to the Government,” said the Minister. inland.

According to her, the Fire and Rescue Department should provide an assessment next week on how the municipalities closest to the power plant are ready to start the Astrava nuclear power plant.

“(Department – 15 minutes) will verify that those plans are realistic and work in reality, “said the politician.

He also recalled the proposal of the Ministry of the Interior to unite all the Lithuanian institutions responsible for civil protection into one: “This would raise the civil protection system to a higher level.”

“The political seasons are also changing, and the heads of the institutions are also changing. We must ensure that this is not a daunting task and we all understand that civil protection is part of our lives,” said R. Tamšunienė.

In 2019, exercises were organized to prepare for a possible Astrava nuclear power plant accident in various municipalities in the country.

Negotiations on methodology.

The message from the State Defense Council on the aspiration of the Baltic States to agree that unsafe electricity produced in third countries would not enter the markets of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia in connection with the negotiations of these countries on a new methodology for the trade in electricity with third countries.

This methodology is relevant for Lithuania in order to implement the law, so that after the commissioning of the Astravas nuclear power plant, Belarusian electricity would not enter the domestic market, and Minsk would not be able to use Lithuanian instruments for trade. of this energy.

The comments after the council meeting reflect Lithuania’s intention to persuade Latvia and Estonia not to buy electricity from the Astrava nuclear power plant, but Riga disagrees with that. Recently, the European Commission has become more involved in the negotiations on the methodology, which is expected to lead to a compromise in the negotiations.

After the meeting, the Minister of Energy Žygimantas Vaičiūnas assured that “the most sustainable form of protection (…) against the entry of electricity from unsafe nuclear power plants” is the interconnection of the electrical networks of the Baltic States with western Europe. Admittedly, this project is slated to be completed in 2025.

The Minister also said that the independence of the Lithuanian energy system would improve with increased electricity production in Lithuania.

He also stated that Lithuania’s objective “is to have a secure agreement” with the Baltic countries on trade in electricity with third countries.

Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius says the Astravas nuclear power plant is no longer economically viable for Belarus, but the project is being developed due to geopolitical objectives.

“From what we are seeing now, you should not agree with economic logic, because there is no economic justification for the whole process, but since these are geopolitical objectives, the rules are applied differently,” said the minister.

In Lithuania, negotiations with other Baltic countries on the methodology are controversial because there is no agreement on the best way to prevent Belarusian electricity from entering the country.

Lithuania has been the biggest critic of this power plant since the beginning of its construction. She accuses Minsk that the power plant is being built in an unsafe manner.