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Given the close ties between Russia and Belarus, “Russian” electricity is likely to be in fact Belarusian, with production at the Astrava power station just a couple of days ago. Not only that, neighboring Latvians decided to trade with Russia without receiving the blessing of Lithuanian services, but they had to. The Lithuanian government cannot confirm one hundred percent that Belarusian electricity does not flow into our country.
On Wednesday, electricity came to Latvia from Scandinavia and Lithuania. And yesterday an additional index appeared: Latvia announced that it would start trading electricity with Russia as well. It is true that Latvians themselves need very little additional electricity, because they produce it themselves. However, a large flow of them enters Lithuania.
Conservative Dainius Kreivys concludes that some of that electricity actually comes from nowhere else but from Belarus.
PHOTO GALLERY. After a great effort not to buy electricity from Astrava, he is already going to Lithuania
“Latvia sells that electricity as Russian electricity, although it comes from our cables. Because the Russians issue documents that there is Russian electricity here, it is not difficult, because the power station is built in Rosatom, says conservative Dainius Kreivys.
So could it be that the long-standing efforts to bypass electricity from the unsafe Astrava power plant fell to the tail of the dog and successfully passed a detour through Russia and Latvia?
“I don’t want to blame anyone, but we probably negotiated very, very weakly all these years that we have such a situation,” says D. Kreivys.
The State Energy Regulatory Authority also talks about the fact that the electricity from Belarus will definitely reach the Baltic market with the current methodologies.
“It can represent around 70-80 percent. Of the total flow of electricity entering the Baltic countries,” says Inga Žilienė, the head of the council.
When asked if he can guarantee that Russian electricity, but not Belarusian electricity, enters Latvia and Lithuania, the Minister of Energy responds in this way.
“There would be complete certainty if our VERT approved the methodology and had every opportunity, both legally and legally, to participate in the system,” said Energy Minister Žygimantas Vaičiūnas.
The Ministry blames the Energy Regulatory Authority for such a situation. It is the only one of the three Baltic States that has not adopted a common methodology. And only a general agreement would allow Lithuanian institutions to see with their own eyes whether the so-called Russian electricity is really, and not Belarusian or, even more so, produced in Astrava. Now it remains to rely on Latvian methods to verify the origin of electricity.
“As long as we do not participate in the common methodology, we cannot even make statements or ask questions. When we become part of the common system, we can do it, ”says Ž. Vaičiūnas.
The Council reiterates that it did not receive all the data necessary for the approval of the methodology on time. In addition, he wants more political participation. Especially considering that Lithuania alone is the so-called “anti-smudge” law and a real desire not to buy electricity from Astrava.
“Latvia and Estonia do not have a legal basis, so goodwill and understanding that the three Baltic states must understand that electricity produced in a neighboring country and where unsafe nuclear power plants operate cannot be traded,” says I Žilienė.
Admittedly, energy expert Rytas Staselis is in no rush to claim that Belarusian electricity is actually flowing into Lithuania.
“It just came to our attention then. This does not mean that electricity itself is coming in. Due to various factors. Russian companies have little desire to trade Belarusian electricity. They need to sell Russian electricity and help Lukashenko not to feel that way, at least in open sources, ”says energy expert Rytas Staselis.
After all, has Lithuania done everything possible to avoid Astrava’s electricity?
“Well, if the theoretical possibility held, it was probably not completely ruled out. We developed the methodology, convinced Latvians and Estonians to accept it, at that time our VERT does not approve of it and we are left in the fool’s place again” said R. Staselis.
Now the responsibility will fall on the new center-right government.
“Both diplomatic and legal measures, because the law has been violated again, and technical measures. It will be a question for the new Government how to effectively use the arsenal of these measures, ”says D. Kreivys.
Both the Baltic services and the ministers promise to discuss the situation on the electricity market next week.
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