The need to construct the Baltic nuclear power plant to meet the
region’s electricity demand has risen after the freezing of the
Visaginas nuclear power plant project,
Dmitry Sukhanov,
General Director of JSC Atomenergopromsbyt, a daughter company of
Russia’s nuclear energy corporation Rosatom, told New Europe in an
interview on December 7.
Lithuania’s new energy strategy suggests bringing the Visaginas
nuclear power plant project, which has not made any progress over the
government’s 2012-2016 term, to a halt until it becomes economically
beneficial in terms of market conditions or become needed to ensure safe
power supplies.
“The decision on the implementation of the Baltic nuclear power plant
was adopted in the presence of the conditions for the Visaginas nuclear
power plant construction plans. Now, with the freezing of the Visaginas
nuclear power plant project, the issues of ensuring a reliable supply
base capacity in the Baltic region, as well as meeting the growing
demand for electricity have risen tremendously,” Sukhanov said, arguing
that due to the planned decommissioning of the prime nuclear power
capacities in Germany as well as in Sweden, where it is planned to
reduce installed nuclear capacity by a quarter by 2020, the electricity
supply from the Baltic NPP becomes even more relevant.
Asked when will the Baltic NPP be operational, Sukhanov said
construction completion dates are set depending on the provision of
guaranteed standards of electricity distribution and formation of
technical conditions of the electricity sales. Current concept of the
project involves the supply of up to 100% of the electricity for export.
“At the current stage, we are negotiating with our European partners
the options for the integration of the Baltic nuclear power plant into
the electricity grid infrastructure of the region, as well as assessing
the prospects for the use of the Baltic nuclear power plant and its
network infrastructure in the process of market and energy systems
integration of the Baltic region. In the case of reaching an agreement
with the European partners, the actual commissioning of the power units
of Baltic NPP would happen in the beginning of the next decade,” the
Atomenergopromsbyt General Director said.
Asked who are the consumers for Baltic NPP, Sukhanov said that in
terms of the implementation of the project, it is proposed to strengthen
the existing network infrastructure of the Baltic region, which will
positively impact the reliability aspect of electricity distribution for
the consumers in the region.
“Implementation of the project will attract investments to the
boarder area due to new network construction, will create new jobs, form
new interstate electric ties in the region on new routes, stabilise
electricity prices for consumers, and reduce the pressure of the CO2
emissions requirements for coal power plants of the region,” he argued,
adding that this potential is perceived with interest by the European
energy experts.
“In addition, there is an existing interest from the EU business
community for a possible participation in the project, both in the
construction and distribution of electricity: there have already been
signed a number of memorandums and preliminary agreements for the
electricity distribution to major European electricity consumers and
energy holdings. Electricity distribution from the Baltic NPP is to be
carried out according to market principles, at a price linked to the one
of the electricity market,” Sukhanov said.
Asked if it can it be part of the EU Energy Union, Sukhanov claimed
that the project is fully in line with the concept of the new EU design
of the electricity market, adopted by the European Parliament, with its
focus on the development of the regional inter-state cooperation on the
creation of new power capacities of the reliable carbon-free generation,
expansion of interstate connections, strengthening of the market
signals for investment, enhancement of safe and stable power supply for
the EU economy and its consumers.
“Therefore, we are convinced, that the Baltic NPP project can become a
pilot joint project (EU-third countries), implemented according to the
Energy union concept,” he said.
Asked if he is concerned about the future of nuclear power in Europe
after the election of Donald Trump to the US Presidency and return to a
policy possibly focusing more on fossil fuels and less on climate
policy, Sukhanov said he is convinced, that the EU will step by step
implement its energy policy, aimed at the reduction of CO2 emissions,
increase of energy efficiency and security of energy supply.
He argued that without nuclear energy it is impossible to resolve
global environmental problems. In addition, the results of the
referendum in Switzerland say that Europeans are very wary of populist
and economically unreasonable approach to abandoning of nuclear
generation, Sukhanov claimed.
He said that the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) point of
view is not to oppose renewable energy and nuclear energy. “These are
two kinds of ‘green’ power generation who need to successfully
complement each other in the overall energy mix. We are open to
cooperation and collaboration in order to develop the best and mutually
beneficial solutions for the future of the energy sector in Russia and
Europe,” Sukhanov said.
https://www.neweurope.eu/article/baltic-npp-wants-fill-eu-power-void-visaginas-plant-freeze-decommissioning/