Belarus, Energy, Energy Market, EU – Baltic States, Latvia, Lithuania

International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics Thursday, 28.03.2024, 14:07

Latvian EM: Lithuania’s concerns about Astravyets NPP are understandable, but Latvia’s interests come first

BC, Riga, 19.08.2019.Print version
Lithuania’s concerns about safety of Belarus' Astravyets Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) are understandable, but the Latvian government made the decision to organize trade of electricity with the third countries has been based on Latvia’s interests, said Economics Minister Ralfs Nemiro (KPV LV).

Latvia’s Cabinet of Ministers on Tuesday in order to mitigate, in a timely manner, the risks of a possible reduction in electricity flow or negative tariff fluctuations, decided to give the green light for moving electricity trade to the Latvian border once Lithuania suspends it.

 

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said Latvia's decision to buy electricity generated by Belarus' Astravyets Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), under construction close to the Lithuanian border, is "regrettable" but "not very surprising".

 

Nemiro underscored though that the Latvian government’s decision does not mean that Latvia will purchase electricity from Astravyets because “there is no such Belarus or Russian electricity, there is just electricity” that the state buys in the pool in order to reduce deficit.

 

“If Lithuania closes trade with Belarus, we move it to Latvia. We do not have the capacity to produce enough energy, therefore a deficit is forming,” the minister said.

 

Nemiro said Lithuania’s concerns about Astravyets’ safety are understandable, and the minister agrees that this NPP should meet the international criteria, but in this case Latvia’s interests come first. At the same time, Nemiro underscored that the Baltic states should cooperate more actively in order to promote synchronization of its power grids with Europe.






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