Belarus invites Lithuania to discuss NPP construction

MINSK, 7 February (BelTA) – The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of Belarus has sent a letter to the Ministry of Environment of Lithuania inviting to discuss issues related to the construction of the Visaginas NPP and the Belarusian NPP in the near future, chief for information and public relations -spokesperson for the ministry Yelena Penyaz told BelTA. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of Belarus has suggested holding bilateral consultations on issues concerning the construction of the nuclear power plants, including a draft bilateral agreement on observing the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Espoo). In particular, environmental specialists are set to discuss the post-project analysis of the Belarusian NPP in line with the Espoo convention. Belarus will also answer questions of Lithuanian experts concerning the investment consideration of the nuclear power plant in Belarus. The parties will also discuss the findings of the geotechnical study at the Visaginas site and the type of the reactor chosen for the Visaginas NPP. The environmental impact assessment report did not specify what type of reactor Lithuania is going to use. “We invite Lithuania to set any date in February or early March 2012 to hold consultations and we ask them to let us know about their decision and the composition of the delegation,” Yelena Penyaz said.

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