Will be the golden age of energy in the Baltics / day

What do you think is the potential for renewable energy and what will it mean for the Baltic States in the near future? Do the Baltic States need to achieve an abundance of energy production or do we need to change mentality from cheap energy imports to green energy exports?

In the last 30 years, we have been based on energy imports in the Baltics. It has been more or less in all Baltic countries. We imported Russian gas, Russian electricity, later combining it with good connections with the Nordic countries – Sweden and Finland. The Baltic States have been experiencing cheap energy from all sides for a long time. All our strategies have been focused on this option – how to keep this cheap import level. In addition, we have even thought about the cheap energy of Russia or the Nordic countries in Poland or Germany, including retaining low energy prices with us.

In my opinion, it was a good solution for the particular period, but it is clear that such a strategy is not sustainable in the future. We will see how more countries are trying to find a solution to keep low energy prices in the long run. Strategically, the only way to get energy prices in the long run is to produce more energy ourselves than we can consume. It just sounds simple. In fact, you need to think very much about realization. It is likely that, in the longer term, if the state consumes more than produces, it will expect problems in production early or late.

If we think of where to go – why is wind and solar energy is the choice of Lithuania? You ever had Ignalina NPP. Have you never thought a new nuclear power plant?

There have been widespread discussions in Lithuania and there have been plans on it. We decided this issue in a referendum that was negative. Lithuanian citizens voted « against » – said they did not want a nuclear power plant, and that was exhausted. At the moment, it is difficult to judge whether it was a correct or wrong decision. Later, new wind and solar generation technologies appeared, and we were moving rapidly. Fast throughout the Baltics, but in Lithuania, especially because we need. When I started working in Lietuvos Energia, the country imported 80% of the entire energy we needed. Last year, Lithuania closed with 70% of its own electricity. It is a huge leap in generation and has been achieved by the generation of renewable energy – the wind and the sun.