UPDATE 1-Lithuania vote gives boost to nuclear plant plan

(Adds Lithuanian parliament vote, changes dateline from RIGA)

By Nerijus Adomaitis

VILNIUS, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Lithuania's government won a parliamentary vote on Friday to merge a private and two state-owned energy companies into one group to invest in a new nuclear power plant and build connections to Sweden and Poland.

The vote will give a boost to delayed plans to build the new power station in cooperation with Poland, Latvia and Estonia, all countries that want to reduce their reliance on Russia for energy.

The four countries' economy ministers are to meet to discuss the nuclear plant on Feb. 4.

"Parliament's decision means we have created a national investor and the process (of building a new nuclear plant) kicks off," Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilas told Reuters.

The vote was controversial as critics said the private company involved in the merger, the Western Grid Company, was getting too big a stake in the merged entity, with 38 percent.

Kirkilas said the four countries would next week discuss the project schedule. "I hope we could establish a joint project company in the autumn, after hearing the results of the environmental impact study," he said.

He told reporters that he hoped construction of the new plant could start in two to three years.