Belarus Can Do Without Nukes for Now, Lukashenko Says

Belarus does not need a new nuclear power plant at this point, President Alexander Lukashenko said Friday as he was touring areas badly affected by the 1986 breakdown at the Chernobyl plant, in Ukraine. Tomorrow will mark the 17th anniversary of the Chernobyl accident.

According to the Belarussian leader, the republic has sufficient capacities to satisfy its electricity needs. Nuclear power plants cost billions of dollars to construct, and Belarus still has enough of untapped resources, Lukashenko said. He cited the example of Finland and Sweden, which widely use alternative sources of electrical power, such as wood.

Discussing whether the construction of a nuclear power plant is feasible in Belarus will be appropriate only when the nation exhausts all the resources it boasts, Lukashenko pointed out.