Altra has launched a €400m ($457m) international tender for the dismantling of the cores of both Ignalina nuclear power station reactors as Lithuania pushes ahead with a project that could see it become the first country to dismantle Soviet-era RBMK-1500 nuclear plants.

Altra, a subsidiary of the nuclear company Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant, said the dismantling is the most important and technically demanding stage of the entire Ignalina decommissioning “megaproject”.

Acting minister of energy Žygimantas Vaičiūnas said the experience Lithuania gains together with the technological solutions it develops will provide valuable knowledge for other countries facing similar challenges.