Lithuanian government tender for nuclear investor
24 November 2009
The government of Lithuania has said it will go ahead with a tender process to find a strategic investor for its planned new nuclear power plant. A government meeting held on 23 November was told that Lithuania and its regional partners would need to attract a "financially strong" strategic investor with experience in the nuclear power industry. According to Reuters, Lithuanian prime minister Andrius Kubilius told journalists that the tender will be announced in December. The €3-5 billion ($4.5-7.5 billion) project to build a new plant is described as the largest Greenfield investment in Lithuanian history. Lithuania's single remaining operational nuclear unit, the Soviet-designed Ignalina 2 RBMK reactor, is scheduled for closure at the end of 2009 as a condition of the country's accession to the European Union.