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VILNIUS, Oct 21, BNS - After statements about the higher probability of agreeing with the European Union (EU) on the extension of operations of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (INPP) a month ago, the government's negotiator Aleksandras Abisala maintains that the probability was now hanging by a thread.

"As Abisala has already said, the extension issue is now hanging by a thread. It has decreased because the statement by (the European Commission's President Jose Manuel) Barroso was rather tough," chairman of the Lithuanian parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, Justinas Karosas, told journalists on Tuesday after the committee's joint meeting with the European Affairs Committee. In Karosas' words, postponement of the Ignalina closure is too dangerous for the EU "due to the start of renaissance of nuclear power facilities in the EU."

"Our reactor is old-fashioned. If something happened, it would discredit the idea of nuclear power plants in the eyes of the EU, which would be devastating," said the head of the parliamentary committee. He described the promise made during the last week's meeting of the European Council in Brussels to draft an energy rescue plan for the Baltic states before the end of the year as a positive step.

"It is my belief that the implementation of the plan will be started during Sweden's EU presidency next year," said Karosas.

After the meeting, Abisala admitted his defeat in the negative EU stance on the extension of the operations of Ignalina's second power unit. "But it is only a defeat in this part. Since March, we have been talking about a long-term action plan for Lithuania's energy security. The extension of the INPP lifespan was and continues to involve high risks, however, it is a small part of the plan. It will take two-three years before we have an alternative. The other part - the long one - is regarding links, alternative supplies channels, gas links and generation capacities. Everything is in place. The European Council agreed to have the plan ready by December," he noted.

Asked to indicate a victory achieved by Lithuania, Abisala pointed to the option offered by the European Council to receive additional pollution permits for the 2013-2020 period. "If I were Estonian, I would say we are very lucky but, as a Lithuanian, I believe we have lost part of the war. I am not saying this is final," said  the negotiator. "The final answers of the European Council are due in December, however, we must admit that the stance against the extension is strong."

He said he did not have an answer as to what would happen in Lithuania after the full decommissioning of the nuclear facility in 2009. "The links will not emerge tomorrow, just as they will not emerge in 2010. This also applies to other necessary aspects. I do not know what we will do during the first two-three years. Let's hope that the EC has something intelligent to say," he stated.

In the EU Accession Treaty, Lithuania committed itself to closing the sole running unit of INPP, which is considered unsafe by the West, late in 2009. Nevertheless, the government expected to agree on postponement of the closure with the EC.

The hope crashed after the after the failed non-binding referendum on Ignalina lifespan extension and the stance expressed by the EC chief in Brussels last week that operations of Ignalina until 2012 were not possible.

Lithuania hopes to launch the first reactor of the new nuclear power plant by 2016-2018 and to build electricity bridges to Poland and Sweden in 2015-2016.