ESTONIA-RUSSIA -- SOVIET PASSPORTS BECAME INVALID AS OFFICIAL IDENTIFICATION DOCUMENTS IN ESTONIA ON JULY 16. The director general of Citizenship and Migration Department (CMD) Andres Kollist told a press conference on Wednesday that after May 15 Estonia must face a situation where not all people who live in Estonia have documents that are accepted by the state. Foreigners who reside in Estonia and who have not submitted applications in time to acquire a foreigner's passport may face difficult problems in border crossing, registration of marriages, bank transactions etc. Foreigner's passports are issued to people who are not Estonian citizens but live in Estonia. Over 140,000 passports have been printed and in recent weeks 11,000-12,000 of such passports have been issued per week. (ETA, 14 May)
RIGA-VILNIUS -- BILATERAL SEA BORDER TALKS ECONOMIC INTERESTS SHOULD BE ISOLATED from other border issues, said Lithuanian Foreign Minister Algirdas Saudargas in a meeting in Riga on May 19. Saudargas voiced this position at a meeting with Latvian President Guntis Ulmanis and Latvian Foreign Minister Valdis Birkavs. An official from Lithuanian foreign ministry, who accompanied Saudargas to Riga, said that the meeting emphasized that bilateral talks on sea border were a technical, not territorial, problem. Bilateral border negotiations continue to be aggravated by a conflict over the oil field on the Baltic Sea shelf still disputed by both nations. Disagreements were sparked in part by a Latvian decision to conclude a treaty with US Amoco and Swedish OPAB companies to prospect in the oil fields. (ELTA, 19 May)
LAKE VISTYTIS, LITHUANIA-MOSCOW, RUSSIA -- LITHUANIAN PRESIDENT ALGIRDAS BRAZAUSKAS PLEDGED TO LITHUANIAN RESIDENTS ON LAKE LISTYTIS that Lithuania will receive that part of Lake Vistytis belonging to Lithuania before the Second WorlД War. At the Vistytis border, Brazauskas met with border servicemen and local population who showed him the border which existed previously. The segment of border crossing Lake Vistytis is the central problem pending in Lithuanian-Russian border talks. Both parties hold different positions with Lithuania offering to draw border line in the middle of lake, whereas Russia has offered to draw it along the Lithuanian shore, thereby making the lake Russian territory. (ELTA, 20 May)
LENINGRAD OBLAST, RUSSIA-FINLAND -- A GOVERNMENT VERIFICATION COMMITTEE OF FOREST USE in Leningrad Oblast was created after a widely viewed report of NTV news showed that timber is being cut and sold abroad illegally in the region of Vyborg, Priozersk, and Vsevolozhkii. About 60 timber companies are reported to be active in the region, including a number of foreign companies. According to the head of the Committee of Timber Use of Leningrad Oblast, Andrei Nelidov, violations today occur not on oblast- regulated land, but on that land bordering sovkhoz and military plots and that land belonging to the city of St. Petersburg. No one in St. Petersburg is following this matter, according to Andrei Nelidov. (Delovoi Peterburg, 30 May)
BALTIC STATES-FINLAND-NORTHWEST RUSSIA -- IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS OFFICIALS OF NORTHWEST RUSSIA HAVE INCREASED THE INTENSITY OF OBSERVATION of border crossing violations in a program called Border-97. In addition to drug contraband, immigration officials have been patrolling Lake Peipus (Chudskoe) and the Gulf of Finland for those who cross the border illegally. Private boats from Western Europe and especially fishermen whose boats are based in Estonia on Lake Peipus have recently violated the border of the Russian Federation. (SPb Vedomosti, 30 May)
NORWAY-VYBORG, RUSSIA -- THE NORWEGIAN OIL PLATFORM of the international consortium Sea Launch, consisting of Russian, American, and Ukrainian companies, is being re-outfitted in Vyborg shipyards in order to serve as a future ocean launch pad for rockets carrying satellites. The newly outfitted platform will permit launches from the equator region, which will permit large fuel economy for the launches. The rockets to be launched from the platform will be Russian. (SPb Vedomosti, 27 May)
ST. PETERSBURG -- THE FIRST INCINERATION STATION FOR THE PROCESSING OF SEWAGE WASTE in the city will come into operation before the end of the year, according to city sewage experts. The complex is being built on Belyii Ostrov, where the central aeration station of Vodokanal is located. Such sewage waste has until now been buried underground. The remainder from the incineration will be used for road and building construction. Four powerful ovens and other equipment for the new incineration station were constructed in Russia. (Vecher. Peterburg, 22 May)
BALTIC SEA REGION -- THE WORLD BANK IS SATISFIED WITH INVESTMENTS TOWARD ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION in the Baltic states and Poland, according to a report from the Finnish news agency STT. The World Bank launched its Baltic Sea environmental project in 1990 and since has invested more than 300 million USD in various projects in the region. Stephen Lintner, the leading expert of World Bank environment projects, visited Helsinki on May 19 and praised Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland for their activities in joining the projects financed by the World Bank. These countries have also been active in launching their own projects, he said. The experience of the World Bank around the Baltic Sea has been so positive that the same methods would be used in financing environmental projects around the Danube, the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea, and the Red Sea, Lintner said. The Baltic Sea projects of the World Bank have focused on drinking and sewage water and refuse management. A new area of interest will be environmental problems caused by agriculture. (ETA, 19 May)
ST. PETERSBURG - THE CONSTRUCTION OF NUCLEAR REACTORS IN SOSNOVY BOR AND ON THE KOL'SKII PENINSULA SHOULD BE HALTED, not only for safety reasons, but because the reactors are not economically profitable in comparison with alternative energy sources, according to a presentation in St. Petersburg by representatives of Greenpeace and the social organization Green World of Sosnovy Bor. The presentation was based on a study by the Oko-Institut on the Leningrad and Kol'skii atomic electric stations. A majority of the 60,000 residents of Sosnovy Bor nevertheless support the construction of a new reactor in their city from the point of view of providing employment, said Oleg Bodrov of Green World. Greenpeace intends to send a copy of its findings to local and regional government administrations. (Vecher. Peterburg, 28 May, and Delovoi Peterburg, 28 May, and Nevskoe Vremiia, 30 May)
WHITE SEA, RUSSIA -- EXPLORATORY DATA ON DIAMOND FIELDS IN THE SOUTHEASTERN REGION OF THE WHITE SEA should be revealed to the public in order that investment in the region begin, according to an expert committee of the Russian government. The data were previously considered highly secret. An investor is expected to be found in the next months. Arkhangel'sk diamonds are now being mined by the local firm Severalmaz. The required investment in the White Sea project is estimated at 700 million dollars. (SPb Vedomosti, 22 May)
LITHUANIA -- LITHUANIA IS TO BUILD A SITE FOR THE STORAGE OF SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL. A project for the storage of spent nuclear plant, under which fuel containers will no longer be stored in a special reservoir but taken to a depository, is to be finished by next spring. Deputy Head of the Nuclear Energy Division of the Economy Ministry Donaldas Jasulaitis said the new storage facility would consist of a special concrete site to house 72 containers of spent fuel, including 20 containers produced by German Kastor Co. The new site will store spent fuel containers for 40-50 years, however, although no decision has been taken yet on the further fate of the containers. Many experts say they should be taken to Russian or US mines for final storage. Until 1993, лithuania transported this fuel to Russia. (ELTA, 20 May)
IGNALINA NUCLEAR PLANT, LITHUANIA -- IGNALINA NUCLEAR POWER PLANT COULD HAVE TO BE SHUT TEMPORARILY if crucial safety measures are not implemented in time, the country's Ministry of Economics said on May 23. Efforts are under way to improve safety during routine maintenance periods after an international safety analysis report this year required extra safety measures. The number of measures exceed 100, but six measures need to be completely urgently in order that reactor number one be restarted after routine maintenance. The measures include the completion of a draft of emergency procedures and the construction of a containment system to prevent the leakage of radiation. Reactor number one is currently undergoing routine maintenance. Reactor number two was expected to undergo routine maintenance after the first reactor is up and running, Kazlauskas said. The plant supplies Lithuania with 85 percent of its electricity needs. Ignalina's reactors are the largest of the Chernobyl-style RBMK models operating in the former Soviet Union. (Reuter, 25 May)
RIGA -- ABOUT EIGHTY REPRESENTATIVES FROM ENVIRONMENTAL
ORGANIZATIONS and information providers of the Baltic Sea Region
participated in the first annual BALLERINA conference held on May
22-23 in Old Riga. The two-day conference represented the first
meeting of BALLERINA cooperative members and supporters since a
workshop held in Stockholm in June 1996. BALLERINA stands for
Baltic Sea Region On-Line Environmental Information Resources for
Internet Access. It is a co-operative effort to provide
comprehensive information on-line. BALLERINA serves as a gateway
and guide to a broad spectrum of information resources on
environmental and natural resource issues and sustainable
development issues in the region. BALLERINA can be visited at
http://www.baltic-region.net, or for further information, contact
Dr. Sindre Langaas, UNEP/GRID-Arendal, BALLERINA network
coordinator, e-mail ST. PETERSBURG -- FROM 15 APRIL TO 1 SEPTEMBER THE COMMITTEE FOR
NATURE PROTECTION OF ST. PETERSBURG AND LENINGRAD OBLAST has
announced the regional environmental project for youth called "No
Garbage Dumps", according to the press service of
Lenkomekologiia. Youth groups will evaluate city dumps with a
specialist and a technical report will be filed after interviews
with local residents. Awards will be given to those youth groups
who present the best photo exhibit of their work. The city is
working to clean up the tens and tens of unofficial garbage dumps
around the city. In 1995, 84 unofficial garbage dumps were
cleaned up in this way. (Chas Pik, 28 May)
VILNIUS, LITHUANIA -- LITHUANIA AND DENMARK AIM TO INTENSIFY
COOPERATION IN ENERGY SAVING AREAS. Lithuanian Construction
Minister Algis Caplikas and Danish Charge D'Affairs Claus Wintop
signed a program co-operation treaty on May 15 in Vilnius. Danish
construction ministry is supporting a large construction program
for Central and Eastern Europe, of which the key goal to be
energy saving in building and water heating. At the moment,
Danish specialists are teaching pilot energy saving programs in
areas of information, social care, and training of consultants
and contractors. Denmark also plans to establish consultation
centers for home owners in Vilnius and Kaunas. (ELTA, 18 May)
ST. PETERSBURG -- THE CONFERENCE "ECOLOGICAL-ECONOMIC PROBLEMS OF
THE FOREST COMPLEX" was held at the Forestry Technical Academy.
The level of production of cellulose in Russia has fallen from
fourth place in the world in 1985 to seventeenth place in 1995.
The participants in the conference supported the proposal that a
system of ecological management must be applied to the Russian
forest resources. Methods of paper whitening without chlorine
which have been developed at the academy were also presented at
the conference. Participants concluded that the principle of
sustainable development must be more effective in guiding
forestry activity in Russia. (Vesti, 20 May)
ST. PETERSBURG -- RECOGNITION WAS GIVEN TO ALEXANDER NIKITIN at a
local press conference for his having been awarded the Goldman
Award for environmental excellence. Nikitin was unable to attend
the actual award ceremony in San Francisco because his exit visa
has been withdrawn by Russian authorities. Nikitin supporters
held the conference at the Russian-American Press Center on May
19. Nikitin is the second Russian to have been given the award.
The chair of the Union of Writers of St. Petersburg, Mikhail
Chulaki, spoke at the meeting at the press center. (Smena, 21
May)
ESTONIA-RUSSIA -- EESTI GAAS (ESTONIAN GAS CO.) DISCUSSED
COOPERATION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BALTIC SEA GAS MARKET with
Baltic and Scandinavian countries in St. Petersburg last week.
Eesti Gaas hopes to sign a long-term supply contract with
Russia's Gazprom in the fall of this year, giving rise to larger
cooperation projects. Three of the gas supply projects concern
Estonia: a gas pipeline from Norway via Finland to the Baltics,
the connection of Gazprom pipelines to Finland, Sweden and the
rest of Europe, and the use of the Stockmann gas reserves in the
Nordic Sea. If Gazprom decides to connect its pipelines to
Europe, this project may include the construction of an
Estonian-Finnish pipeline, Saar said. "Gazprom has made plans to
take the gas pipeline to Europe via Belarus but this plan might
be shed in favor of Finland," he said, adding that all of the
projects were in doubt because gas consumption in Europe is low
today. The situation is expected to improve in five years' time.
Gazprom holds a stake of 30.6 percent in Eesti Gaas and Germany's
Ruhrgas has 15 percent of the company. (Arileht, 20 May)
IGNALINA NUCLEAR PLANT, LITHUANIA -- THE IGNALINA PLANT WILL
RECEIVE 2 MILLION USD FOR SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS from the Swedish
international nuclear safety project and United States Energy
Department, according to a trilateral agreement for a new
computer network and data base system improving plant safety and
productivity which was signed on May 22. The plant's information
security system monitors different systems of the reactor, state
of the equipment, and warns operators about divergences from the
optimal work regime. At present the Ignalina nuclear plant runs
seven data bases but they are not linked. The new computer
network will allow to join all data bases. The Swedish company
IFS is to supply computer hardware and software for the work.
Sweden has already invested about 35 million USD to Lithuania for
nuclear safety. (ELTA, 25 May)
NORTHEAST ESTONIA -- THE BANKRUPT ORU PEAT FACTORY IN NORTHEAST
ESTONIA has been sold to the local company Freesturvas for 4.7
million kroons. The new owners of the plant do not intend to
restart production of peat briquette at the plant, planning
instead to focus on the production of block turf. A contract with
the Swedish energy giant Soder Energi AB, which used to buy most
of Oru's briquette, will not be renewed, as the Swedes are not
interested in block turf. The new owners see a market for block
turf in Estonia, primarily in agriculture and large boilerhouses.
It is estimated that in the case of intensive production turf
will suffice for some 15 years in the Oru region. The large Oru
plant went bankrupt at the end of last year, making hundreds of
people redundant and causing a tense social situation in the
region. (ETA, 22 May)
ST. PETERSBURG -- A REGIONAL CENTER FOR PUBLIC INFORMATION ABOUT
NUCLEAR ENERGY for direct work with city residents and the local
mass media has been created by two French firms in cooperation
with the Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy. Several exhibits at
the center seek to inform the city population about atomic
energy. The center also has the means to provide information
based on official requests of residents about the atomic industry
in Russia and abroad. The organization of the center was financed
by the TACIS program at a cost of 1.2 million USD. Information on
the center is available at Aerodromnaia Ul. 4. (Delovoi
Peterburg, 21 May)
TALLINN -- THE US EMBASSY BACKED THE INVESTMENT OF AMERICAN
COMPANY NRG ENERGY TO THE ESTONIAN ENERGY SECTOR, according to
the U.S. Ambassador to Estonia Lawrence Taylor. Taylor said in
Tallinn on May 21 that the US has in every way possible tried to
create an interest in US energy companies towards investing in
Estonia. Estonia has signed an agreement according to which a
joint venture would be formed by NRG Energy and Estonian Energy
Company to manage Estonia's two largest power stations. A
American-Estonian joint venture, of which the majority is owned
by the American company Coastal Corporation, privatized Estonia's
state fuel company Esoil last year. (ETA, 21 May)
ST. PETERSBURG -- THE EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION FOR RECYCLING ALUMINUM
(ACRA) estimates that 1.2 million cans are thrown away daily in
St. Petersburg. ACRA plans to organize a center for recycling
aluminum cans in St. Petersburg. Recycling aluminum is a
profitable business, according to the ACRA, and one ton of
aluminum yields approximately $1000 on the world market. (Delovoi
Peterburg, 23 May)
LITHUANIA -- SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN THE TRANSIT OF GOODS via
Lithuania took place during the first four months of this year.
The amount of goods carried by Lithuanian railway transport in
the first four months of this year rose by 12.3 percent to 1.235
million tons. Since the beginning of this year 5.204 million tons
of goods were reloaded at Klaipeda seaport, a rise of 32.4
percent occurred as compared with the same period last year.
Shipments of goods carried by Lithuanian river transport in the
first four months totaled 140,500 tons, an increase by 38.5
percent in comparison with the first four months of last year.
During the four months of this year, oil and oil products
transportation via the Lithuanian oilpipe network rose by 11.7
percent. (ELTA, 22 May)
IGNALINA NUCLEAR PLANT, LITHUANIA -- IGNALINA NUCLEAR PLANT
GENERATED 5 BILLION KWH OF ELECTRICITY since the beginning of
this year. Ignalina plant power sales during the first four
months of this year stood at 4.5 bln kWh. During the course of
this year, the nuclear plant is to produce 14.33 billion kWh,
while its sales are to amount to 13 bln kWh. In the first four
months of this year Ignalina nuclear plant was working at 85.9
percent of its capacity. The plant employs 5,115 people. (ELTA,
25 May)
ESTONIA -- IN ORDER TO CALL ESTONIA FROM RUSSIA AFTER JULY 1, IT
WILL BE NECESSARY to use Estonia's new international country
code, 372. The previous internal Soviet city codes will no longer
function in calling Estonia from Russia. The city codes for
Tallinn is 3722,372, Narva 37278, and Tartu 3727. (TEIA)
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