Minister Kreivys: “Lithuania’s energy infrastructure is secure and we have plans in place for various scenarios”
“Lithuania’s energy infrastructure is secure and we have plans in place for various scenarios. The leak in the gas interconnector between Estonia and Finland once again confirms the importance of ensuring the security of critical facilities,” says Minister of Energy Dainius Kreivys, reacting to the published information on the gas leak in the Estonian–Finnish Balticconnector pipeline.
According to the minister, Lithuania is consistently working to strengthen the security of its energy infrastructure and energy supply, and continuous implementation of additional safety measures is an integral part of ensuring energy security. “The Ministry of Energy and Lithuanian energy companies have developed a plan to further strengthen the protection of energy facilities with anti-drone systems, to design additional structures to conceal important facilities or to protect against explosions, and to build up a reserve of critical equipment. The LNG terminal in Klaipėda is also additionally implementing underwater protection measures,” said Mr Kreivys. He also stresses that the protection of offshore energy infrastructure has its own specificities, which is why it is essential for all institutions and services to work together on this issue.
Mr Kreivys emphasises that Lithuania’s energy supply security was ensured even before the start of the war in Ukraine, when tensions on its borders started to rise. Then, following a comprehensive analysis, additional measures were implemented to ensure uninterrupted gas and electricity supply and additional operational and technical infrastructure security measures were taken.
Having closed the gas pipeline connecting Finland and Estonia, gas supply to Lithuania, the Baltic countries and Finland has remained and will remain stable. This is ensured by the LNG terminal in Klaipėda, the joint Lithuanian–Polish GIPL gas pipeline, the Inčukalns natural gas storage facility and the LNG terminal in Finland.
Lithuania has also already carried out an isolated operation test, which means that in the event of an emergency, Lithuania’s electricity transmission system can operate fully autonomously. Electricity would be supplied by power plants in Lithuania, as well as DC links with Poland and Sweden.