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Securing Lithuania’s power supply after Ignalina
EBRD-administered fund supports upgrading of multi-fuel power plant
Lithuania has committed itself to shut down the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant
by 2009, and has closed Unit 1 in December 2004. To help secure the power
supply during and after the closure of Ignalina the EBRD-administered Ignalina
International Decommissioning Support Fund (IIDSF) will provide a €90 million
grant for the environmental and technical upgrading of the Lithuanian Power
Plant. With a capacity of 1,800 MW the multi-fuel plant, which is situated in
the town of Elektrenai, will become the main generator of electricity in
Lithuania after the final closure of Ignalina.
The IIDSF grant will be complemented by €80 million from the power plant’s
operator, AB Lietuvos Elektrine, a €30 million grant from the Lithuanian state
and a €49 million loan, of which the EBRD is planning to provide €15 million.
The funds will be used to upgrade the plant to EU environmental standards and
ensure it is technologically ready to take over from Ignalina as the main
provider of power in 2009.
Vince Novak, Director of the EBRD’s Nuclear Safety Department, said the
substantial IIDSF grant was a strong sign of the Donor Countries’ ongoing
commitment to support Lithuania’s decommissioning efforts led by the European
Community. “We are proud to be associated with this successful programme for
which today’s signing is another milestone”, he added.
The financial support for the Lithuanian Power Plant comes on top of a series
of other IIDSF grant-financed projects related to the decommissioning of
Ignalina. Earlier this year a new gas pipeline opened to fuel new boiler
stations. At the site of the nuclear power station a new steam boiler station
has been completed as part of the least-cost and most environmentally
attractive solution to ensure continued reliable heat and steam supply to the
region following the closure of Ignalina.
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