Parliament Vice-Speaker: Expert assessment would halt nuclear plant project

"The assessment would suspend the project implementation indefinitely," Čaplikas, leader of the ruling Liberal and Center Union, told Žinių Radijas news radio on Wednesday.

In his words, the opposition figures behind the evaluation idea should register a draft resolution on NPP expert assessment on Thursday. The parliament's board intends to decide on the matter on Friday.

Under the Seimas statute, such expert assessment is mandatory upon request of at least 29 members of Lithuania's 141-seat parliament. The address to the board has been signed by 41 MPs.

Čaplikas said a lengthy international tender would be required for hiring experts. Furthermore, the assessment would cost 0.5-1 million litas (EUR 145,000-290,000).

"I think this is one of the attempts suspend the energy project. The energy minister has already briefed members of the Seimas on the analysis carried out by companies. Should they have any doubts, the parliamentarians can take the analysis and study them," the parliamentary vice-speaker said.

Last week, Vidmantas Žiemelis, elder of the opposition Christian Party group, prepared an address to the Seimas board, demanding an independent expert assessment of the documents and legal amendments submitted to the Seimas.

The MP said the address was an effort to get answers to the doubts on the economic viability of the projected nuclear facility and the possibility to join the Western European electricity networks.

Last Thursday, the Lithuanian parliament started debating a package of laws and other documents related to the country's key energy projects.

If the Seimas endorses the documents by the end of June, a concession agreement with Japan's Hitachi on the Visaginas nuclear power plant - the country's largest-ever energy project at an estimated 16 billion to 18 billion litas - is expected to be signed by 28 June.

Hitachi, the strategic investor, would own 20 percent of shares in the Visaginas plant and Lithuania would hold 38 percent. Latvia and Estonia would take stakes of 20 percent and 22 percent, respectively. The ownership stakes could change if Poland joined the project.