Thursday the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development grounding on the donors of the Ignalina International Decommissioning Support Fund, made a decision to stop financing of one of the projects on Ignalina NPP decommissioning.

The project covers construction of temporary storage of processed nuclear fuel and reactor equipment from two blocks. Such decision was adopted on the ground of that consortium Nukem didn’t manage to resolve a longstanding 2 years argument on how to accomplish the project.

As reactors can be dismantled only when processed nuclear fuel is kept in a safe place, delaying storage construction, there is a threat that also the accomplishment of the project shall be delayed, states the press-release of the European Commission.

The EC, as one of the main donors of the Ignalina International Decommissioning Support Fund, calls the both parties urgently to achieve agreement on the project accomplishment. For the last two years the EC made great efforts, maintaining dialogue between INPP and the contractor, intending to solve the argument and technical issues. The EC hopes that suspension of financing shall speed up the process.

When the both parties solve the issue the funds can be granted again. Provided the parties don’t reach agreement, the funds can be spent for other purposes.

In the EU joining agreement Lithuania was liable to shut down INPP. To assist the project of its decommissioning, the EU provides financial aid.

Expenses on INPP decommissioning shall reach 2.8 bln EUR, 1,37 EUR the EU has promised to pay till 2013.

Translated by EuroDialogueXXI from delfi.lt

17.12.2012