Blocking Belarusian nuclear plant electricity ‘requires Baltic collaboration’

Lithuania’s Parliamentary Energy Commission met to discuss a study on the technical means to restrict electricity produced at the Astravyets nuclear power plant from entering Lithuania.

The authors of the study said all the investigated technical measures can only be applied to the Baltic countries as a whole. If technical measures would apply only to Lithuania, electrical system reliability would be reduced and the flow of electricity from Belarus would still reach Lithuania via Latvia.

Kaunas University of Technology professor Dr Saulius Gudžius together with representatives of the electricity transmission system operator, Litgrid, presented a study on the options to stop electricity entering or transiting Lithuania from the plant.

The study authors have identified and analysed four technical means: turn off of all electrical transmission lines between the Baltic States and Belarus and Russia; shut off of all electricity transmission lines between Lithuania and Belarus; construct a DC converter at the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant transformer substation; turn off three power transmission lines from the Ignalina nuclear power plant to Belarus. The fifth alternative does require any technical measures, but stops the electricity being sold on the markets.

The experts believe that the most effective measure that can be implemented within a short period of time is commercial power flow limitation – to ban the sale of Belarusian electricity on the markets.

The most effective and reliable long term alternative to restrict Astravyets electricity is to synchronize the Baltic electricity systems with continental European networks, they said.

Alfa.lt