DISINFO: Poland and Lithuania will not be able to fully supply themselves with electricity
SUMMARY
The need for a second nuclear power plant in Belarus comes not so much from domestic needs but from foreign policy. Lithuania and Poland will not be able to fully supply themselves with electricity. As neighbours to Belarus, they face an electricity deficit and this situation can be used by countries with nuclear power plants as a source of energy. By constructing a second nuclear power plant, Minsk will have a good geopolitical reason for rapprochement with Poland and Lithuania.
RESPONSE
Pro-Kremlin narrative about Europe's energy supply, in particular, that it will face electricity shortages without the assistance of Russia or Belarus.
The assertion that Poland and Lithuania will be unable to supply their own electricity without assistance from Belarus is unfounded.
In November 2020, the Lithuanian authorities stopped the Baltic power trade with Belarus because of numerous concerns about the security of the Belarusian nuclear power plant. Neither Poland nor Lithuania plans to rely on electricity imports from Belarus for their energy security.
The assertion regarding the construction of a second nuclear power plant in Belarus is purely speculative. The Belarusian and Russian authorities continue to face problems with the completion of the first nuclear power plant in Astravec. Despite its formal completion in 2021, numerous technical problems persist, leading to regular interruptions in the plant's operation.
See other examples of disinformation messages regarding the energy sector.