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The moment Lithuania woke up after election night, it was announced that Daivis Virbickas, director of the state-owned company Litgrid, which synchronized the electricity system, had been fired by agreement of the parties.
The resignation of the director of one of the most important state companies was rumored immediately after the victory of the Conservatives was announced. It is true that some experts say that D.Virbickas decided to retire last year, but the chosen moment of publication is surprising.
The choice was won by the critics
This happened just three days after the first smoke appeared over the turbines of the Astrava nuclear power plant. However, the smoke above D. Virbickas’ head was building up earlier.
D.Virbickas, one of the highest paid managers of state-owned companies, was urgently fired, according to the cartels.
Lithuanian electricity transmission system operator Litgrid was one of the authors of a new methodology that could stop the flow of electricity from Astrava to Lithuania. It is true that the Ministry of Energy dealt with this issue in public, but the technical part and its justification belonged to Litgrid.
Scanpix / AP Photo / Astravo Nuclear Power Plant
At the heart of the new methodology are certificates of origin, which must be signed by individual countries, including Russia. This would commit not to trade in Belarusian electricity.
This option was particularly criticized by conservatives before the elections, who also demanded the resignation of Energy Minister Žygimantas Vaičiūnas. It has been said that such certificates will be null and void because Russia’s promises cannot be trusted.
VIDEO: Lithuania may drown in darkness: Latvia power outages, a warning, a “strange coincidence” or Moscow’s manipulations?
You think the decision was made by elections
Former Energy Minister Arvydas Sekmokas believes that the resignation of Mr. Virbickas is related to this election, when the victory of the Conservatives became clear after the first round.
“The coincidence is very obvious, because it would be difficult for him to achieve his own results if the ruling coalition changes,” Sekmokas said. In his opinion, D.Virbickas could have deliberately chosen this moment, when the new methodology has not yet been approved. “It is unlikely to be approved,” he said.
Photo by Irmantas Gelūnas / 15min / Arvydas Sekmokas
It is true that A. Sekmokas would not bet on whether it was D. Virbickas’s own decision. However, the Litgrid manager is responsible for ensuring that Astrava’s electricity does not enter Lithuania, hence the approved procedure to prevent it from working. When it turns out that other governors come who have criticized the methodology, it would be logical to go backwards, ”said the former Minister of Energy.
Also mention disagreements
Kiti 15 minutes Energy experts interviewed, who did not want it to be made public, said the decision was unexpected, but hinted that it could have matured earlier.
One of the options being considered is the relations of D.Virbickas with the Minister of Energy Ž.Vaičiūnas. “They did not agree on all the issues related to the fight against the energy of the Astrava nuclear power plant,” said one expert.
Žygimantas Gedvila / 15min photo / Daivis Virbickas and Žygimantas Vaičiūnas
It is true that the opinions of Ž.Vaičiūnas and D.Virbickas, who will soon finish working in public, do not differ. The head of Litgrid only emphasized that he was fulfilling the tasks assigned by the government: preventing the entry of electricity from Astrava into Lithuania.
It is also said that D.Virbickas has received criticism from EPSO-G. The latter is a state-owned group of power transmission and exchange companies that also oversees Litgrid.
“EPSO-G’s aversion to D.Virbick has been talked about for a long time, but it is difficult to say whether he was a decisive influence on self-determination,” said one of the representatives of the state energy world.
“This decision has been maturing for a year. It should have been announced in August, but why now – I don’t know. Apparently, the minister asked to wait for the elections so that he had fewer questions” – 15 minutes said a senior official.
Recently, both the presidency and energy experts have called for the synchronization process to be accelerated, which is the most realistic way to avoid nuclear power from Astrava.
VIDEO: Astravas released, Lithuania prepares to boycott Belarusian electricity: impact would be “less than minimal”
By the way, last week D.Virbickas together with the Prime Minister publicly addressed the ministers with a certain dose of criticism, asking for the acceleration of the synchronization.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to address the ministers: speed is very important to us in this project. Well, in territorial planning, that speed depends on our (…) We currently have six (out of 14 – BNS) projects in territorial planning, all of which involve 20 institutions, ”said D. Virbickas at the government meeting on Wednesday.
Reason itself is silent
D.Virbickas became the director of Litgrid in 2013. In a press release issued by Litgrid on Monday, the retiring manager did not mention the reasons.
“The most important strategic energy project for our country, Synchronization, is firmly built on the rails and moving forward with confidence. Never before in my 20-year career in energy have we gone this far toward total energy independence. We have the record support and funding of the European Commission and the invitation of European transmission operators to join the continental European networks, and a quarter of the synchronization work has already been done.
Photo by Josvydas Elinskas / 15min / Daivis Virbickas
I leave the company with the confidence that the team of professionals working in it will successfully continue the work and the projects started and Lithuania will become a member of the Western Energy Club at the agreed time. I am grateful to the team of colleagues, who for seven years together initiated, pursued and implemented ambitious goals, ”says D. Virbickas.
Vidmantas Grušas, who has been temporarily appointed as the new director of the company, is an energy engineer and has been the head of Litgrid’s Transmission Networks Department since 2011.
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