Eighteen percent of respondents to the poll, conducted early last month by the RAIT company, said they "completely supported" construction of a new nuclear plant while 31 percent said they "supported" construction.

"The two answers demonstrate how strong the support is: those who answered 'completely support' show utter resolution while those who said 'support' are not so determined. But both answers are seen as positive," said RAIT director Inga Nausediene.

Eleven percent of the 1,142 people polled were "completely against" and 16 percent "against" the initiative.

Twenty-two percent of respondents were undecided.

Lithuania and its Baltic neighbours are heavily dependent on supplies of oil and gas from Russia for their energy needs, and Russia has been steadily increasing the prices of its fuel.

Dependence on energy from the east is set to increase in 2009 when Lithuania is due to close its Soviet-era Ignalina nuclear plant, considered unsafe by the European Union, which Lithuania joined in 2004.

Lithuania shut down one of two reactors at Ignalina in 2004 and has pledged to the EU to close the plant completely in 2009.

A feasibility study has been conducted on the new nuclear plant by the energy companies of the three Baltic states.

German energy giant E.ON has already expressed interest in the project, while France's Areva group, Canada's AECL, and Mitsubishi of Japan have said they are ready to supply nuclear technologies to build the new facility.

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