Lithuanian parliament backs controversial law on nuclear plant

Jun 19, 2007, 12:59 GMT

Vilnius - The Lithuanian parliament gave its backing on Tuesday to a controversial law concerning the construction of a new nuclear power plant, paving the way for final approval next week.

In the second of three planned readings, the draft law, entitled simply 'The Lithuanian Republic's law on nuclear energy,' was approved by 91 of the 97 members of parliament present, according to parliamentary press secretary Jolanta Anskaitiene.

The draft law has been written to give a legal framework to the most ambitious energy project the Baltic states have ever attempted: a nuclear power station jointly built by Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland.

But it has already fallen foul of controversy, with the project's partners reportedly disagreeing over the share that each should hold.

When initially planned in February 2006, the nuclear plant was conceived as a project in which the three Baltic states would each hold a one-third share.

However, in July 2006 Lithuania unilaterally invited Poland to join the project, leaving Latvia and Estonia facing a considerably reduced stake in the venture.

And the law approved on Tuesday goes one step further, stating that Lithuania, as the host country, should hold a 34-per-cent stake in the project, with voting rights to match.

That proposal has not met with enthusiasm in Latvia and Estonia, where some commentators have interpreted it as a breach of the Baltic solidarity which the plant was meant to embody.

But all sides are agreed that urgent action is needed to forestall a looming energy crisis. In 2009, Lithuania is due to close down a major Soviet-era nuclear power plant, potentially leaving all three Baltic states facing an energy deficit.

The new project is of 'huge strategic importance for the whole region' and 'crucial for Lithuania's energy and national security,' Lithuanian Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilas told the Baltic Regional Energy Forum last week.

The third and final reading of the law is scheduled for Tuesday, June 26, Anskaitiene said.