The Russian-Belarusian nuclear power plant project, estimated to have a capacity of 2.4 gigawatts (GW) and set to be commissioned in 2018, has been a controversial topic given that the project was signed between Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in the midst of the Japanese nuclear disaster.

FORBES: Lithuania Agitates Against Russian Nuclear Projects

In 2001 project officials selected Jay Kim, a Korean-American and former senior scientist of nuclear power plant design at Westinghouse, to approach U.S. developers.

FORBES: Scratch Builders

The four-country replacement project has strong Latvian support, but Poland is lukewarm and Estonia is considering a small nuclear-power plant of its own if the joint one falls through.

ECONOMIST: Awkward tussles over nuclear power on Russia��s borders