"I think that continuation of the earlier project is probably impossible. There was a referendum and people gave their opinion. Therefore, unless there are some modifications, the project is certainly buried. Perhaps we could build one reactor with the Japanese, if there were political will and understanding that we need this," she said in an interview with BNS.
The president believes that it is important for the country, which will remain dependant on external gas suppliers in the future, to have a mixed energy system.
"Many states have mixed energy systems. I've just come from Slovakia, a country of 5 million, which has four nuclear reactors and is building two more. They are building them on their own, without any regional partners," she said.
"But of greatest importance now are power transmission links, a liquefied gas terminal, and a cautious switch to biofuel. But not the way it is now, when this is being done by monopolizing, when biofuel costs almost as much as expensive gas," the president added.
Japan's Hitachi was chosen as a strategic investor for the Visaginas nuclear power plant project in the summer of 2011. The previous government's plan called for building a 1,380-megawatt reactor in Visaginas, in the eastern part of the country, together with Hitachi, Latvia, and Estonia.
However, the new government put the project on hold after the majority of Lithuanian voters did not support it in a referendum last October. It is said that the project could be revived if the regional partners give their backing.
