Lithuania Considers Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant To Be A Threat To Its National Security

Lithuania Considers Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant To Be A Threat To Its National Security

The Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a note to Minsk asking for an official explanation of the incident at the start of the nuclear power plant (BelAES) near the town of Astravec. Lithuania considers this first Belarusian nuclear power plant to be a threat to its national security, public health and the environment. Astravec is located on the border with Lithuania and is only about 50 kilometers from the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.

Fire at start

Vilnius is asking Minsk to provide information about what happened at the Astravec nuclear power plant on Sunday, when, according to media reports, there was a transformer fire during the start-up. Lithuania is now awaiting "answers to questions about the causes of the incident and its consequences for the decommissioning procedures of the nuclear power plant" and for ensuring its safety. The Belarusian Ministry of Energy announced on Monday that, according to the results of tests, it will be necessary to "replace some electrical equipment" at the Astravec power plant. Despite the concerns of neighboring states, Belarus connected this controversial nuclear power plant to the energy grid on 3 November.