According to an April 2 statement from the Ministry of Energy, seeking full energy independence from Russian gas, in response to Russia’s energy blackmail in Europe and the war in Ukraine, Lithuania has completely abandoned Russian gas.
Since the beginning of this month, Lithuania’s gas transmission system has been operating without Russian gas imports. Data from the Lithuanian gas transmission system operator Amber Grid, showed that on April 2, the import of Russian gas for Lithuania’s needs through the Lithuanian-Belarusian interconnection was equal to 0 MWh.
All Lithuanian gas demand is satisfied through Klaipeda liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal. Terminal operator Klaipedos Nafta indicated that three large cargoes of LNG will reach the terminal each month, which are planned to be enough for all customers.
If necessary, gas can also be delivered to Lithuania via the gas link with Latvia, and from May 1, through the gas link with Poland.
Minister of Energy Dainius Kreivys said that this is a turning point in the history of Lithuania’s energy independence: “We are the first EU country among Gazprom’s supply countries to gain independence from Russian gas supplies, and this is the result of a multi-year coherent energy policy and timely infrastructure decisions.”
Gas in transit through Lithuania continues to be transported for the needs of Königsberg, but in a different technical mode than usual, ensuring only the transfer of the amount of gas required for transit.
Photo credit: iStock/ ssuaphoto
