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VILNIUS, Aug 06, BNS - A new nuclear power plant will be built in Lithuania, Energy Minister Arvydas Sekmokas believes. President Dalia Grybauskaite expressed doubts over the conditions under which Lithuania could build the nuclear facility, not over the fact that Lithuania should have such a plant, he said during the broadcast Lietuva Tiesiogiai of the TV channel Lietuvos Ryto Televizija.

"This is the main question, since the existence of the nuclear power plant, if it is beneficial for the state, is not negotiable," Sekmokassaid. Lithuania would be able to purchase all electricity it would need undermarket terms in 2013-2015, he added. "What is important for us, is the Baltic electricity market, the opening of the market by Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The implementation of this measure should be synchronized. I believe this will happen no later than in 2015, but it may also occur earlier, our goal is the year 2013," Sekmokas said.

As a condition for joining the EU, Lithuania closed one of the twor eactors at the Soviet-era Ignalina plant, which is considered unsafe by the West, in December 2004 and promised to shut down the entire plant at the end of 2009.