Lithuania will propose to Latvia and Estonia to build a power plant together to ensure the flexibility of electricity production and energy security, the Lithuanian Minister of Energy Žygimantas Vaičiūnas announced on Thursday.
The minister did not speak in more detail about the possible location or the technologies planned to be used in the project.
“Ideally, if we reached an agreement with Latvia and Estonia, it would be a new power plant. With regional projects, we have a number of challenges in negotiating with regional partners. However, if this were decided, of course, such flexible electricity generation is usually with gas, but for the time being, this issue is still at the stage of suggestion,” Vaičiūnas told Žiniu radijas radio station.
“I will not be able to elaborate on the technology or location aspects at this time as we need to hear the views of Latvia and Estonia first,” said the minister.
At the end of last year, a discussion commenced with other Baltic States on a possible joint capacity auction for investors in modern and flexible power plants that would generate electricity in periods when there is no wind or sun.
“Therefore, we will offer this opportunity on a more regional scale, as we are in a common electricity market with Latvia and Estonia, and it would be rational to make such decisions at regional level,” added the Lithuanian minister.
Previously, the three Baltic States failed to agree on the construction of a common liquefied natural gas terminal. They have had disagreements about the location of the starting point of the underwater electricity cable with Sweden. They have been unable to agree on a common gas market for a long time. There have also been constant disagreements have been caused by the European standard-gauge railway project “Rail Baltica” all the way from the start.