Nuclear power in the Baltics: the history of emergence and the political and economic features of its development
This article analyses the issues of development of peaceful nuclear power. The author pays attention to the fact that nuclear power as a rather young branch of national economy, however, over recent decades, it has seen rises and falls and a number of states have had tragic experiences of nuclear emergencies; nevertheless, the interest in development, generation, and application of nuclear power is strong in many countries, including the Baltics. In the Baltics, nuclear power dates back to the Soviet times, but its development was suspended pursuant to the EU regulations (the Ignalina NPP). Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia have been striving for energy independence from Russia – the principal supplier of energy carriers to these countries. For a long time, the three Baltic states have been proclaiming their unanimity on the general European path of development. However, the reality proved it to be different. The touchstone for the achievement of common goals was the idea of constructing a new NPP at the site of the closed Ignalina NPP. The author comes to a conclusion that the joint construction of a new NPP is quite questionable. When it comes to politics, each Baltic state is ready to build its own NPP. Thus, the development of nuclear power in the Baltic region requires joint coordinated actions independent of bloc-inspired interests of the states involved. Moreover, this success will be cemented, if the actions are taken at the level of modern technologies and innovative decisions.