The Lithuanian energy minister said his country needs a nuclear power plant to reduce its dependence on Russia, secure economic development and employment, and reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
"If you depend on imports, it is not safe," Arvydas Sekmokas said in an interview Tuesday after Lithuania decided to order a nuclear power plant from Hitachi Ltd.
Since 2009, when Lithuania shut down a nuclear plant that had provided over 70 percent of its electricity, the country has been buying about 65 percent of its electricity from Russia and depended wholly on Russia for the natural gas it needs for thermal power generation.