Minister of Energy discusses LNG imports and enhanced regional security in Washington
During a working visit to Washington, D.C. (United States), Minister of Energy Žygimantas Vaičiūnas met with Laura Lochman, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Department of State’s Bureau of Energy Resources, and Brett Guthrie, Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. During the meetings, the minister discussed the further strengthening of transatlantic cooperation, the energy security situation in the Baltic Sea Region, nuclear energy opportunities, and assistance to the Ukrainian energy sector.
“Lithuania has not imported gas, LNG, oil or electricity from Russia since 2022. Our further priorities are to increase regional energy security. Together with Estonia, Latvia and Poland, Lithuania can become a model for infrastructure protection and resilience. This would include a common package of security measures that national institutions would implement with the help of NATO and the EU, thus significantly strengthening the security of the region,” said the Minister of Energy.
The importance of ending Russian LNG imports was emphasised during the meeting. Lithuania was one of the first EU countries to completely stop importing gas and LNG from Russia, both de jure and de facto. The next step is increasing the rate of utilisation of the Klaipėda LNG terminal operated by KN Energies, not only by augmenting its capacity to supply the region, but also by diversifying gas supplies to Ukraine by using the LNG terminal capacity and the GIPL gas interconnection between Lithuania and Poland. Lithuania remains a firm and active supporter of Ukraine.
“The continuous assistance that the people and institutions of Lithuania provide to Ukraine only proves once again that Lithuania has been, is, and will continue to be committed to supporting Ukraine. Various support initiatives have brought together energy professionals and non-governmental organisations for the common goal of meeting the needs of the Ukrainian energy sector and providing the necessary short- and long-term assistance. Lithuania continues to provide emergency support by supplying equipment for the repair and restoration of critical energy infrastructure. We appreciate the mediation efforts being taken by the United States and are ready to contribute to ensuring greater stability in Ukraine,” said Mr Vaičiūnas.
In the meeting with Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Brett Guthrie, the minister presented the potential security threat posed by remote-controlled renewable energy converters (inverters) – primarily for solar power plants. Converters are often purchased from countries that are hostile to Lithuania and Europe and can be controlled remotely – this, in turn, may create not only a cyber security vulnerability, but also an energy crisis.
The possibility of using small modular reactors (SMRs) in Lithuania was also discussed at the meetings. Lithuania and the United States have signed an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in developing Lithuania’s civil nuclear power programme. Under this agreement, the United States will share with Lithuania its experience in developing new-generation nuclear energy, and will also prepare an analysis of the business model and development opportunities for Gen IV SMRs.
Minister Vaičiūnas also met with Congressman Bob Latta, who is a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and other senior administration officials. In addition to these meetings, the minister participated in an event organised by the Atlantic Council think tank to discuss the prospects for American LNG, where he presented Lithuania’s success story in opening the region’s gateway to the global LNG market.