Atomic Policy in Latvia

Soviet Time

From 1940 to 1990 Latvia was a part of the Soviet Union thus its nuclear policy could not differ from the Soviet one.

In the 1950s Soviet government, following an initiative by Igor Kurchatov, a Soviet nuclear physicist who is widely known as the director of the Soviet atomic bomb project,decided to build 20 research reactors in different regions of the USSR and abroad.

Meanwhile physicists from the Institute of Physics of the Academy of Sciences came up with a proposal to build a research reactor in Latvia. It was accepted and construction of „Salaspils Research Reactor“ (SRR) started. SRR was put in operation in 1961 and carried out neutron activation analysis, nuclear reaction research, researches in solid state radiation physics, radiochemistry and radiobiology. It is the only research reactor Latvia has ever had and the only civilian research reactor in the Baltics. SSR is located 2 km from the centre of Salaspils city and 25 km from Riga, the capital. It was shut down in 1998. The spent fuel was sent to Production Association "Mayak" in Russia in May 2008 within a bilateral governmental agreement.

Since there are no nuclear power plants in Latvia, the country has a repository only for low and medium level radioactive waste. It is called „Radons“ and is located in Baldone, 5 km from the city of Baldone and 27 km from Riga, the capital. „Radons“ (in operation since 1962) is a near-surface repository for both burial and storage of low and medium level radioactive waste.

The fact that there are no NPPs in the territory of Latvia does not mean that there were no plans to build them. Alluding to deficiency of natural energy resources in the north-western part of the former Soviet Union and more extensive application of nuclear energy, the USSR State Plan Committee recurrently proposed Latvia to build an NPP.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s the USSR Designing Institute at the Ministry of Energetics and Electrification started looking out for possibilities to locate NPPs on the banks of various lakes in Latvia. However, this idea was postponed after the government of Lithuanian SSR agreed to build Ignalina NPP on its territory. But not for too long...

Already in 1975 the USSR Ministry of Energetics and Electrification repeatedly suggested that the government of Latvian SSR should use nuclear energy and reserve possible building sites for the future NPP. The government of Latvian SSR did not respond to this proposal since it had found an alternative by agreeing to build Daugavpils Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP). Here I would like to add that this HPP was never built. The project was cancelled in 1987 due to massive protests, lack of cement in the USSR or lack of financial resources - depending on who to ask.

The temporarily suspended project was renewed in 1980. Three sites were offered for the final choice:

• 8 km south from Pāvilosta (30 km from Liepāja, the third biggest city in Latvia);
• 5 km north from Pāvilosta;
• and in Pape, which is situated 24 km from Liepāja and 28 km from the border with Lithuania.

In 1981 the government of Latvian SSR gave a principal consent to reserve two options for the construction site. The USSR Ministry of Energetics and Electrification envisaged building of an NPP with a 3000 MWe electric capacity.

The NPP was designed with four power generating units and 4000 MWe total electric capacity. They had to be water-water nuclear reactors VVER 1000. The estimated amount of produced electricity was 22.5 TWh per year. Total number of the staff: 2100 persons. The estimated building consisted of:

• the time of designing and preparation: 6 years;
• the construction time of the first unit: 6 years;
• the total construction time: 12 years.

15 000 workers would be engaged in construction works.

A bit later the USSR Ministry of Energetics and Electrification announced to the government of Latvian SSR that the construction of a larger NPP must be envisaged on the reserved sites with 6000 MWe total electric capacity.

But, once again, these plans were interrupted. Two events in the 1980s - „perestroika“ and Chernobyl disaster – stopped their implementation.

Independent State

Latvia is a country that considers nuclear power as one of energy sources - the country needs to import 20-30 % of electricity per year. A part of it is nuclear power. The country was purchasing electricity from Ignalina NPP and a part of electricity imported from Russia is also produced in NPPs. In the document “Development of Nuclear Energetics in Latvia” (2009) it is stated that “summing up the amounts of electricity purchased from Lithuania and Russia which are produced at NPPs, we obtain approximately 1 TWh electric energy a year.” In 2012 the total energy consumption in Latvia were 9 TWh.

The Government is pro-nuclear. Information available on the website of The Cabinet of Ministers states that "On Friday, December 2 [2011], Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis and Prime Minister of Lithuania Andrius Kubilius in conversation have confirmed that the Visaginas Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) will be economically viable and advantageous project for the people of the Baltic States." In March 2012 the Prime Ministers of all Baltic States met in Lithuania and "have reaffirmed their commitment to build the Visaginas power plant and have promised to work together to make sure progress is maintained". An article, available on the discussion page of the Ministry of Economics praises nuclear power and lists its (so-called) benefits.

Although the future of the Visaginas NPP (LT) project currently is unclear, Latvia is still a stakeholder. On January 29, 2013 Āris Žīgurs, Chairman of the Board of the energy power supply enterprise "Latvenergo", stated "I confirm that we still have interest [in this project]".

It is difficult to assess the public opinion because, in my opinion, nuclear power is not among the major issues or concerns. People in Latvia mostly concentrate their attention on social welfare issues, economics and employment, not energetics. When it is about blogging, media appearance or communication with officials, anti-nuclear people seem to be louder. For instance, in February 2012 several Latvian environmental organizations wrote a letter to the Latvian Prime Minister expressing their negative opinion about this project. Also they asked for answers to several questions, for instance, how much this project will cost to Latvians, how participation in this project will conduce Latvian energo-independence, how the spent fuel will be stored and much will it cost.

However, an opinion poll "Whether or not Latvia should participate in the Visaginas project" (taken on July 3-5, 2012) showed that 45 % of respondents are supporting the project (13 % said "definitely yes", 32 % said "rather yes"), 37 % said "no" (15 % - "definitely no", 22 % "rather no"). 18 % had no opinion about this issue. But given that only 500 people participated in this opinion poll, it does not help to clarify the general public opinion.

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