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Lithuania to Vote on Nuclear Plant's Closure Plan in 2 Weeks
Lithuania to Vote on Nuclear Plant's Closure Plan in 2 Weeks
Vilnius, Lithuania, Jan. 22 (Bloomberg) -- The Lithuanian
government is expected to vote on a plan to close its Ignalina
nuclear power plant within two weeks, paving the way for at least
193 million euros ($179.35 million) in Western aid.
The aid has been pledged by a number of international
organizations, including the European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development, the European Union and separate EU governments.
Another 22 million euros could also be made available to the
Lithuanian government in exchange for Ignalina's closure.
The Ignalina plant would be the second former Soviet nuclear plant
to be earmarked for closure with Western assistance, after the
Ukrainian government shut the Chernobyl nuclear plant, the site of
the world's worst nuclear accident, on Dec. 15.
``The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which
manages the fund, has already signed an agreement with the
European Commission, which transferred 165 million euros to the
fund,'' Vice Minister of Economy Rimantas Vaitkus said.
The agreement could be signed by the EBRD by February, after it
is approved by the government, allowing it to start asking for bids
for project managers and contractors.
According to the estimates, 1 billion litas ($250 million) will be
needed to close the plant, which will put as many as 3,000 people
out of work.
The government, which itself has raised about 160 million litas for
the closure, plans to hold a conference for international donors in
the beginning of March.
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