European Parliament proposes halt to funding closure of Ignalina NPP
VILNIUS. Nov 7 (Interfax) - European Union financing for the closure of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (INPP) should be suspended until the plant's management resolves its dispute with general contractor Nukem Technologies, a German company controlled by Russia's Atomstroyexport (ASE), a European Parliament delegation that visited Lithuania in the summer recommends, Lithuania's Panorama national television station reported.
The delegation also believes that the EU should stop financing this project after 2017.
There are no signs that the disagreements between the plant's management and the contractor are being resolved, and if this does not happen financing will be suspended, European Parliament member Petri Sarvamaa said.
The new EU budget might allocate money to continue this project, but it will not be released until the dispute between Nukem and Lithuania is resolved, he said.
Lithuania wants to point out nuclear safety, issues that it does not intend to compromise on, Lithuania's Ambassador to the EU Arunas Vinciunas said. The recommendation to halt financing seems like pressure so that a compromise is reached at any price, but this will be at the expense of nuclear safety, he said.
INPP management and Nukem Technologies have been unable to reach an agreement on containers for storing nuclear fuel, which the Lithuanian government claims do not meet technical requirements and nuclear safety standards. Nukem had promised to provide certificates of compliance by mid-November, but now it is not clear if they will be provided at all.
The European Parliament's budget oversight committee is unhappy that the project to close INPP is already several years behind schedule, and every additional day is costing a lot of money. The European Commission says that the escalating cost of the project should be covered by Lithuania itself.
