Lithuania parliament sets n-plant closure deadline

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@earthlink.net>]

Lithuania parliament sets n-plant closure deadline
  
VILNIUS, May 2 (Reuters) - Lithuania's parliament on Tuesday set a 
January 1, 2005, deadline for completing preparations to close one of 
two reactors at a nuclear power plant inherited from the Soviet 
Union. 

The European Union has pressed Lithuania to close the Ignalina plant, 
built in the 1980s on the same design as Ukraine's disastrous 
Chernobyl plant, which blew up in 1986. 

Last year, parliament committed itself to closing the first unit of 
the plant by 2005 as part of a long-term energy strategy, provided 
the West helped finance the effort. 

This new bill essentially makes the 2005 deadline law. 

``The preparatory works to end operation of Ignalina's first reactor 
must be completed by January 1, 2005,'' the bill stated. 

``The exact date of the decommissioning of Ignalina's first block is 
to be set by the government...taking into consideration the financing 
possibilities from the Republic of Lithuania and international 
sources.'' 

The government has already invited representatives of the European 
Commission, G-24 countries and other international financial 
organisations to a donor conference scheduled for June 21-22, where 
it hopes to raise some $50-$60 million. 

The European Union has offered some 100 million euros ($96 million) 
for the closure. Lithuania has said the first phase of 
decommissioning will cost some $200 million. 

Ignalina supplies Lithuania with more than 70 percent of its 
electricity, making it one of the most nuclear-dependent countries in 
the world. 

The government will make a decision on the second reactor in 2004, 
although the EU has said it expects shutdown by 2009. 

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