The planned Belarusian nuclear power plant will be safe and comply with all international standards, the country's Ministry on Environment has claimed.
In response to outcry over environmental checks and procedures, the ministry addressed an open letter to the Lithuanian government, Belarusian news agency BelTA reported.
The plant will be built and operated by the Russian company Atomstroyexport in Ostrovets, about 30 kilometres from the Lithuanian border.
The letter also pointed out that the Lithuanian nuclear power plant Ignalina near the town of Visaginas, closed at the beginning of 2010, was only 2 km away from the common border.
Lithuania criticises Belarus and Russia for not having any emergency strategy and for their plans to use reactors that have never been tested before. Local officials stress that the plant will violate general agreements as well.
"We regret Belarus’ repeated failure to abide by international standards and attempts to conduct dialogue via the media thus avoiding a professional dialogue," Mindaugas Lasas director of the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the Baltic News Service.
However, according to Belarusian officials, the project follows both the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context and the IAEA’s Nuclear Safety Convention.
Lithuania itself plans to build a new nuclear power plant in Visaginas. It should replace the former plant that was closed in 2010 in line with the wishes of the EU.
The new plant should be build in cooperation with Latvia, Estonia and Poland within ten years.
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