(DEUTSCHE WELLE) In order to join the European Union, Lithuania agreed to close down its nuclear power plant, Ignalina. The Soviet-era technology is the same as that used at Chernobyl. Ignalina’s first reactor block was shut down in 2004; the second is set to go offline next year. The problem is that it still provides two-thirds of the country’s electricity, and now Lithuania says it wants to keep it running longer. A new, safer reactor could not be completed before 2015. Before that, Lithuanians expect the demand for energy to far exceed supply, so in October they are holding a referendum on Ignalina’s future.
