Dismantling of unfinished Ignalina unit completed
16 September 2008
[Nuclear.Ru, 15 September] Work on dismantling building structures at the uncompleted third reactor at Lithuania's Ignalina nuclear power plant has been completed. The work has been conducted over the past four years by the Visagino Statybinikai company. Construction of the third unit was started in 1985, but suspended by the government in 1988, by which time the unit was 50% complete and some equipment had already been delivered to the site. Plant manager Victor Shevaldin said, "We have fully dismantled all structures, evened the site and prepared it for further use." He added that experience gained in dismantling the third reactor would be used in the decommissioning of the shutdown Ignalina 1 unit and the currently operating unit 2. Lithuania is planning to construct a new nuclear power plant jointly with Latvia, Estonia and Poland. Two potential sites, adjacent to the existing Ignalina plant, have been proposed.