Swedish expert: Cost of Belarusian nuclear power plant can increase

None of the nuclear power plants, constructed recently in the world, had sufficient budgeted funds. The cost woull always increase by two or three times, Phillip Peck, Swedish alternative energy specialist from the Lund University, told the European Radio for Belarus.

He made a presentation during the roundtable meeting "Energy Club" on March 11 in Minsk. The event was organized by the Brussels-based Office for a Democratic Belarus and the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Studies with the help of European partners.

Phillip Peck: "I am confident that $9 billion can easily go up to $20 billion. This money could be invested into a variety of alternative energy projects across the country not in just one location. For example, take a look at the construction of a nuclear power plant in Finland".

The Finns planned to launch the third reactor of the nuclear power plant in Olkiluota in the spring of 2009. But the project has been delayed at least for three and a half years and its costs has grown by almost more than 50 percent. "We know that nuclear power plants are usually built by very rich countries. In the region, only tiny Finland is building them. This is a small rich country. Belarus is also tiny but not rich. It has no private investors. Therefore, your nuclear power plant will be constructed for the tax-payer money", says Peck.

He explained why the state prefers nuclear energy. 

Phillip Peck: "I understand their reasoning. They know how nuclear power stations operate and that they are going to have energy if they build a nuclear station. They perceive a nuclear station more materially than various alternative energies. The authorities, especially the post Soviet, like ideal huge decisions".

But this is not always a clever step, because technologies move forward, notes Phillip Peck. In his view, Belarus has many perspective variants of developing alternative types of energy.

Phillip Peck: "It appears that Belarus has the same potential with windmills like Sweden or Poland. There is a huge potential of using the waste from the forestry industry. Besides, there is agricultural waste from various cereals.

Volha Stuzhynskaya, one of the organizers of the Energy Club and the chairperson of the Office for  a Democratic Belarus, told Euroradio that the alternative energy in Belarus has just begun to develop.

In her view, the aim of the Energy Club is to create a permanent platform to discuss energy issues in Belarus with participation of government and independent experts from Belarus and Europe.