Nuclear Plant at EU’s Border Spooks Leaders Amid Risk Warnings

(Bloomberg) -- The European Union is set to call for a ban of electricity imports from Belarus, which launched operations at a newly built nuclear-power plant, as Lithuania warned the bloc’s leaders of growing risks.

Lithuania has long complained to Europe about potential threats from the Astravets nuclear power plant after a string of accidents during construction and attempts to conceal them.

Just last month, Belarus spooked the Baltic nation again after an electrical fault at the nuclear-power plant halted production just a day after it officially opened. Lithuanian residents hurried to pharmacies to collect iodide pills provided by the state. Two other incidents in less than a month involving malfunctioning of a cooling system and steam absorbers led to unplanned shutdowns.

The Baltic nation ended all power imports from Belarus in November when the plant started production and wants its neighbors to boycott electricity from unsafe facilities too.

At the summit that starts Thursday in Brussels, the 27 EU leaders will emphasize the importance of safety at Astravets and will ask ”the Commission to investigate possible measures preventing commercial electricity imports from third countries’ nuclear facilities that do not fulfill EU recognized safety levels,” according to draft conclusions seen by Bloomberg.

Lithuania considers Astravets dangerous because of its location just 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the capital of Vilnius as it was built on land with heightened seismic risks. In the event of an accident, winds could send over a radioactive cloud in two hours. The country is also worried about transparency, with some incidents initially going undisclosed, including when the 330-ton casing for the plant’s atomic core slipped from a crane and plunged to the ground. Only 4 of 29 stress test recommendations by the EU have been implemented so far.

“Quantity and frequency of the safety incidents indicate poor quality assurance and control in the earlier design, manufacturing and assembling stages as well as low operational safety,” Lithuania said in briefing note circulated to EU governments ahead of the summit. “There is no proper preparation of safety and incident management systems in place, absent competence and shortage of personnel.”

The 2,400-megawatt facility’s two reactors are being built by the export arm of Russia’s state-run Rosatom Corp. Russia is providing the lion’s share of Astravets’s $11 billion cost.

“Hasty commissioning and growing incidents indicate the real risk, which is amplified by limited management and competence abilities,” Lithuania said in the note seen by Bloomberg.

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