Brussels, 08/01/2008 (Agence Europe) - An article which appeared in the Baltic Times on 4 January raises fresh doubts over the future of the proposed Ignalina-2 nuclear power plant which involves the three Baltic states and Poland (see EUROPE 9374, 9381 and 9522). Discussions on joint plans for a 3,200 megawatt power plant between the Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian and Polish capitals have stalled over the last several months and “show no sign of being resolved any time soon”, amid rumours that “Poland may be considering pulling out of the project altogether”, said the Baltic Times, referring to a Wall Street Journal Polska report, picked up subsequently by Bloomberg, quoting unnamed Polish Economics Ministry sources as expressing serious reservations about Ignalina-2. According to the Baltic Times, however, this has been denied by Lithuanian Economy Minister Vytas Navickas. “I think that information is untrue since I met with the new Polish economy minister (Ed: Waldemar Pawlak) in Brussels on December 3 (Ed: on the sidelines of the Energy Council), and there were no indications that Poland might pull out of the nuclear power plant project,” he said in a radio interview. Moreover, no doubts over the project were voiced at a meeting between the Lithuanian head of state, Valdas Adamkus, and his Polish counterpart, Lech Kaczynski, in December, Navickas added. Riga, Tallinn, Warsaw and Vilnius are still in talks on setting up the consortium to build the project. The Lithuanians still envisage an arrangement whereby a 34% stake in the still-to-be-established four-party management company would be held by a national joint venture to be called Leo LT, which Vilnius is trying to set up, with the three other participating companies Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyzcne (Poland), Latvenergo (Latvia) and Eesti energia (Estonia) each getting a 22% share. Poland, under the government of the previous prime minister Jaroslav Kaczynski, however, demanded that it receive 1,200 megawatts of the power plant's output, but this was turned down by Vilnius. Ignalina-2 is scheduled to begin producing electricity in 2015, although most experts say that 2020 is a more realistic date. According to the Baltic Times, the Lithuanian government, in addition to the uncertainty over Poland's commitment to the project, is facing difficulties at home. The conservative opposition in the country has expressed doubts over whether or not Leo LT - in which the state would retain a 61.7% share through the national energy provider Lietuvos energija and the distribution grid operator Rytu Skirstomieji Tinklai - is the right vehicle to build the new nuclear power plant and the proposed power grid links to both Poland (via the PowerBridge) and Sweden. (E.H.)