In 2004 Lithuania was the only EU accession country that had to face the imposed requirement to discontinue the operation of its nuclear power facilities. This obligation confronted the country with a unique energy policy challenge—one that remains unresolved and whose solutions must be sought within a European, climate-oriented, and sustainable energy policy framework. This article describes and analyzes the relationship between the Lithuanian independence movement, the attainment of state sovereignty, and the accession of a free Lithuania to the European Union on the one hand, and, on the other, the resulting upheaval in Lithuanian nuclear energy policy brought about by the closure and decommissioning of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant. The methodological approach consists of a source-based reconstruction of key decision-making junctures, along with a document- and statistics-based presentation and analysis of the conditions, constraints, and circumstances under which Lithuanian energy policy operated during the period of transformation beginning in 1991 and following EU accession in 2004. The article provides an analysis of the interrelationship between Lithuania’s EU accession, the shutdown of the Ignalina NPP, and the comprehensive reorientation of Lithuanian energy policy.
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