Leonid Savin, senior expert of Center for Geopolitical Studies

— Effective energy supply is equally urgent problem for small European countries and the leading economic powers of the EU

Last week two countries said that they were going to develop nuclear energy. Croatian Nuclear Society (HND) says that by 2020 Croatia should build a nuclear reactor. Energy shortfalls, unstable supplies, high prices will be the factors that will force small countries to start developing nuclear energy. During a forum on nuclear energy in Prague Prime Minister of Estonia Andrus Ansip said that the development of nuclear energy helps to enhance the energy security of the European Union. That’s why Estonia advocates its development.

Effective energy supply is equally urgent problem for small European countries and the leading economic powers of the European Union. Cheap energy and energy independence – that’s what any European and not only European country is yearning for today. Estonia is not an exception especially as the key energy asset of the Baltic region, Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant, will be shut down in 2009. The old plant is supposed to be replaced by a new one but Ignalina-2 may fail to solve all the problems of the region. It is not clear if the new plant will pay off the huge money the leading European countries are planning to invest in its construction. It is not clear either how much Estonia will have to pay for its electricity. This is a big concern for Estonia and I am sure that the best alternatives for that country is to build own small- or medium-capacity nuclear power plant for less than $2,000 per 1KW and to buy energy from Kaliningrad NPP, which will be built earlier than Ignalina-2.