"First of all, Hitachi, as a company, does not have the right to choose whether or not it will build. This choice depends on the Lithuanian people and the Lithuanian Seimas. Whatever the decision, we will respect and abide by it," Masaharu Hanyu, Hitachi's vice-president and head of its nuclear energy business, told reporters in Vilnius.
Rimantas Vaitkus, CEO of Visagino Atominė Elektrinė (Visaginas Nuclear Power Plant, or VAE), the state-owned company that is doing preparatory work for the project, says that the results of the referendum are very important.
"The results will be respected by the project's developers in any case. This gives us the opportunity to provide as many arguments and information (about the project) as we can during the remaining month. What we are calling for is that people get a deeper understanding of the basic facts," he told reporters.
Vaitkus has not given a direct answer to the question what the fate of the project will be if people vote against it. "I can't say. The Seimas decides on all these issues. I'm speaking about our company's position. It is the Seimas that assesses the results of the referendum and makes decisions," he said.
