EU Energy Council discusses phase-out of Russian fossil fuel imports
On 30 May, Vice-Minister of Energy Albinas Zananavičius participated in the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council of the European Union in Brussels, which focused on the implementation of the REPowerEU plan.
Two years have passed since the publication of REPowerEU, which sets the goal of eliminating Russian fossil fuel imports by 2027 through increased energy efficiency and the active development of renewable energy sources, and the European Commission has published a review assessing the progress made. During this period, the EU's dependence on Russian gas has fallen significantly (from 45% to 15% of total gas imports), solar and wind capacity has increased by 36%, and the EU's energy consumption has been reduced by 18% in 2023 compared to 2021. However, trends in the LNG market continue to be worrying, where imports from Russia have been increasing and Eurostat data shows that in 2023 Russia was the second country after the US in terms of LNG imports into the EU.
"Now is the right time to take stock of where we are and what we still need to do to reach our goal of becoming fully independent from Russian imports. We have achieved a lot, with the rapid development of renewable energy sources and effective reductions in energy consumption at EU level. But we still need to do more. First of all, imports of liquefied natural gas from Russia must be stopped. At EU level, seven new LNG terminals have been built in two years to find alternative gas supply routes, and there can be no compromise here," said Vice-Minister Albinas Zananavičius.
At the meeting, Lithuania supported the proposal to set up a high-level working group to find the most effective means to stop fossil fuel imports from Russia to the EU as soon as possible, and to establish an EU-level system to enable this, with the support of the European Commission. The Belgian Presidency of the EU Council has committed itself to initiating the creation of such a group in the near future.
Lithuania is the first country in the EU to refuse imports of Russian gas, including LNG, oil and electricity, after Russia launched the war in Ukraine.
At the Energy Council, ministers also adopted conclusions on the sustainable development of electricity grid infrastructure. Developing and adapting networks to integrate growing amounts of renewable energy is one of the key prerequisites for a successful transition to a sustainable energy system and an EU-wide market.
The meeting also exchanged views on the European Green Deal and how it can help transform the EU into a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy.