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In a draft agreement discussed by the government last week, Latvia and Estonia expressed support for Lithuania’s ambition not to allow electricity produced by the power plant to enter its market, but did not commit not to buy it.
The statement promises to introduce fuses that would allow commercial electricity flows to bypass Lithuania, but, according to critics, they are not enough to ensure that this electricity is not marketed in Lithuania.
This version of the statement was discussed in the government last Wednesday. During the Cabinet meeting, it was agreed that negotiations should continue to reach an agreement more in line with Lithuania’s interests. In the absence of a compromise between the Baltic States, it was agreed to request a further contribution from the European Commission in the negotiations.
The offer already exists.
The European Commission has already presented its proposed agreements. This was first confirmed on Tuesday by Latvian Ambassador to Lithuania Indulis Berzinis.
He said these proposals could lead to progress in the negotiations.
“I know that the European Commission has prepared a new commitment, so perhaps we will move forward,” Berzinis told reporters at the embassy, quoting Lietuvos Rytas television.
He said this after a picket organized near the embassy, where Latvia was invited to show solidarity with Lithuania and not to buy electricity from the power plant being built in Belarus.
The representative of the Minister of Energy Žygimantas Vaičiūnas also confirmed that the draft agreement “is updated with new proposals”.
“Yes, the draft of the political agreement has been updated with new proposals for further discussion, but it is an ongoing process because, as you know, negotiations have taken place since the fall.” 15 minutes Aurelija Vernickaitė said.
Neither the Latvian Ambassador nor the Lithuanian Ministry of Energy have commented on specific proposals so far.
Lithuania states that the agreement aims to implement the law that after the commissioning of the Astravas nuclear power plant, Belarusian electricity will not be commercialized and the country’s infrastructure will not be used for the transit of commercial electricity flows.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis expressed in Seimas that he hoped that the methodology of tripartite electricity trade with third countries would be approved and that it be done without shaking hands with neighbors.
Photo by Sigismund Gedvila / 15min / Saulius Skvernelis
“I hope it is done. “It is definitely not the way to shake hands with our partners, our neighbors, although some are trying to suggest that we should do it,” the prime minister said.
“The best possible solution”
In the methodology negotiations, Lithuania and Estonia agreed in February on a commitment not to buy electricity from the Astrava power plant, but Latvia disagreed.
Then a renewed version of the agreement was born, which was presented to Seimas members and the Cabinet of Ministers last week. The Energy Ministry says it was proposed by Estonia.
According to him, the new methodology of trade between the Baltic States and third countries would be applied as soon as the Astravas power plant starts up. It will run until 2025, when the interconnection of the Baltic electricity networks with Western Europe will be completed.
The agreement states that after the commissioning of the Astrava nuclear power plant, the infrastructure in Lithuania and Belarus would not be used for the Baltic States’ electricity trade with third countries. In addition, a certificate of origin mechanism for third-country electricity is planned to identify the flow of electricity from Astravo, as well as an infrastructure charge for imported electricity.
As long as Russia, Belarus and the Baltic States are physically connected to the electricity grid, (…) the flows of electricity between our countries are regulated by the laws of physics, not by the laws approved by us.
Critics say these fuses may not impede Belarusian electricity trade in Lithuania. According to them, Belarusians can take advantage of the large technical flow of electricity that will continue to flow through the infrastructure of Lithuania and Belarus, which in theory is designed to ensure the reliability of the Baltic power system. Critics of the deal also question whether Latvians and Estonians could not falsify certificates of origin when buying electricity from Russia.
Estonian Ambassador to Lithuania Jana Vanaveski says it is “extremely difficult” to ensure that Astrava’s electricity does not enter the Baltic until it is connected to Western Europe via the electricity grid and disconnected from the BRELL power ring to which it belongs at present.
“We have to admit that until the synchronization project is completed, it is especially difficult to guarantee the proper functioning of the Baltic electrical systems and the fact that no electrons produced in Belarus will reach the Lithuanian, Latvian or Estonian electrical system.” As long as Russia, Belarus and the Baltic States are physically connected to the electricity grid, (…) the flow of electricity between our countries is regulated by the laws of physics and not by the laws approved by us. ” 15 minutes said the diplomat.
Sigismund Gedvila photo / 15min / Jan Vanaveski
“We believe that the agreement reached is the best possible solution for the laws of physics, the regulation of the EU’s internal market and the laws of Lithuania to work together,” he added, referring to the version of the agreement announced last week.
Pun
Tomas Janeliūnas, a political scientist at the University of Vilnius, says that the option proposed by the European Commission is probably not particularly up-to-date compared to last week’s project.
According to him, the proposals are probably intended to make neither Latvia nor Lithuania feel lost in the negotiations.
“All three Baltic countries agree that a common tripartite methodology is needed. The only question is how rigorously the commitments.
This is probably where the various puns and refinement of the statement will begin, and then we’ll see if all the satisfactory solutions are found. ” 15 minutes said a professor at the Institute of International Relations and Political Science.
Photo by Julius Kalinskas / 15min / Tomas Janeliūnas
Lithuanian officials say the European Commission has linked the Baltic countries’ ability to agree on a methodology for electricity trade with the funds allocated for the implementation of the synchronization project.
According to T. Janeliūnas, Brussels has repeatedly pressured the Baltic countries with financial leverage to agree on various issues, including the interconnection of electricity networks in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia with Western Europe.
“It is not a politically correct way, but it often works effectively,” he said.
The Lithuanian Ministry of Energy bases the need to agree on a methodology for the three Baltic States on the fact that, in the absence of such an agreement, Latvia and Estonia could sign a bilateral agreement. According to her, in this case Lithuania would have no fuses to protect the country’s electricity market from Belarusian electricity.
Last week, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said the first reactor at the Astrava nuclear power plant would be closed in a matter of days. Nuclear fuel for the first reactor at the power plant was delivered from Russia in early May.
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