Lithuania Issues Protest Note To Belarus Over Launch Of Ostrovets Nuclear Power Plant

Lithuania Issues Protest Note to Belarus Over Launch of Ostrovets Nuclear Power Plant

Lithuania has sent a note of protest to Belarus over the launch of a nuclear power plant in the Ostrovets city, citing security concerns, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said in a press release on Tuesday

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th October, 2020) Lithuania has sent a note of protest to Belarus over the launch of a nuclear power plant in the Ostrovets city, citing security concerns, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said in a press release on Tuesday.

Ostrovets is located in Belarus' northwestern part in the close vicinity of Lithuania's border.

"On 27 October, Lithuania sent a diplomatic note to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, protesting against the irresponsible and hasty launch of the Ostrovets nuclear power plant (NPP), which poses security threats to the citizens of Lithuania, Belarus, and the European Union," the press release read.

According to Vilnius, the fact of Belarus launching its nuclear plant in Ostrovets "ignor[es] the safety requirements of Lithuania and the EU" and might affect Brussels' relationship with Minsk.

"The EU maintains a unified position on the implementation of nuclear safety standards and environmental protection requirements at the Belarusian NP," Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius said, as quoted in the press release, adding that Brussels has "urged Belarus to immediately implement the highest safety standards, environmental requirements, and the EU's stress test recommendations."

The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry vowed to "continue to take actions" with the European Union and other international formats toward reducing the "threats posed by the unsafe Belarusian NPP."

The Belarusian NPP is the largest Russian-Belarusian energy project, with the construction under supervision of a subsidiary of Rosatom, Russia's state nuclear agency. The plant has two reactors with a combined capacity of 2,400 Megawatt. The first reactor was commissioned earlier this month and the entire first unit is scheduled to be launched on November 7.

The plant has passed all standard and additional checks of the International Atomic Energy Agency.