Until a few years ago, Lithuania had no alternative gas supply or electricity interconnectivity with EU countries, except for limited interconnections with Latvia. In order to reduce Lithuania’s dependence on energy supplies from a single source, the government implemented a number of projects. A liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Klaipeda was completed at the end of 2014, and at the end of 2015, electricity interconnections between Sweden and Lithuania (NordBalt) and between Poland and Lithuania (LitPol Link) became operational.
Since December 2009, due to the permanent shutdown of the state owned Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), Lithuania’s electricity generation structure has changed significantly, and Lithuania has changed from being a net exporter of electricity to a net importer of electricity. In response to the war in Ukraine, Lithuania passed a law in June 2022 banning Russian natural gas imports. Lithuania also halted all import of Russian electricity in May 2022, after the main Russian provider, Inter RAO, was suspended from trading on the Nord Pool power exchange
The energy sector is particularly important to the Lithuanian economy, and energy security is a strategic priority for the government. The government is developing plans for Lithuania to generate 80% of its domestic energy needs by 2025, primarily from renewable sources. Energy sector projects underway currently include upgrades to the electricity grid and work to synchronize the Baltic grid with Continental Europe, decommissioning of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant, and development of renewable energy sources. The Gas Interconnection Poland-Lithuania (GIPL), a gas pipeline connecting the two countries, started commercial operation in May 2022.
Lithuania has also taken steps to liberalize its electricity market and ensure a consumer’s right to choose his or her electricity supplier and to purchase electricity for a real market price. Lithuania’s regulated tariffs benefit only household consumers, but these tariffs are being abolished. On January 1, 2010, an electricity market was officially launched in Lithuania (the first among the Baltic states) — a crucial step towards the common Baltic electricity market. A restatement of the Law on Electricity, which entered into force in February 2012, created legal preconditions for the integration of Lithuania’s electricity market into the Nordic market. However, in response to unusually high electricity prices in the summer of 2022, the government decided to postpone the third and final stage of its multi-year plan for the transition from regulated to competitive electricity supply for household consumers.
Leading Sub-Sectors
- Energy saving and storage technology
- Cogeneration technology
- Smart grid technology
Opportunities
Info on opportunities: TED Europa