14 Jun (NucNet): The European Commission has issued a favourable opinion for the construction of the single-unit Visaginas nuclear power plant in Lithuania, but has said the plant should remain economically viable and the project development company should “secure adequate financing means to complete the project”.
The Lithuanian Ministry of Energy said in a statement that the EC took the view that the Visaginas plant fulfills the objectives of the Euratom Treaty. The EC said the plant would contribute to the security of energy supply in the Baltic region and to the full integration of the Baltic states into the internal European energy market.
The EC confirmed today that it had issued the favourable opinion, but said it would not be issuing any statement on the matter.
A favourable EC opinion under the provisions of the Euratom Treaty enables nuclear energy projects to apply for EU financial instruments such as funding through Euratom and the European Investment Bank.
Under the Euratom treaty, EU member states must notify the EC of planned nuclear plants within three months of agreeing supplier contracts.
The Lithuanian Ministry of Energy said Visaginas will be the first regional nuclear energy project in the EU’s Baltic region.
It involves three national energy companies in the Baltic States and strategic investors Hitachi and General Electric through their joint venture Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy Ltd.
The proposed composition of the project development company is Hitachi (Japan) 20 percent; EestiEnergia (Estonia) 22 percent; Latvenergo (Latvia) 20 percent; and VAE (Lithuania) 38 percent.
The prime ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia said earlier this year that the project remains open to Poland’s participation, the Ministry of Energy statement said.
Hitachi-GE has proposed an advanced boiling water reactor for Visaginas. It is expected to begin commercial operation by 2022. The Ministry of Energy statement said construction could begin in 2015 and total costs during the construction period will be around five billion euro ($6.2 billion) in 2010 terms.
The Visaginas unit is intended to help replace generation from the two 1,300-megawatt Ignalina reactors that were shut as part of Lithuania's EU membership agreement.
Some preparatory work for the planned unit has been completed, including an environmental impact assessment and site suitability evaluations.
