Lithuanian President Grybauskaitė (left) reviews a military parade with Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko Thursday as part of her official state visit.
KIEV, Ukraine — Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė announced Thursday that her country would purchase electricity from Ukraine but only without intermediaries to ensure transparency.
Lithuania is planning on purchasing electricity from a number of foreign countries after its primary source of energy, the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant, is shut off at the end of the year as required by the European Union. Grybauskaitė visited Ukraine this week and met with President Viktor Yushchenko to discuss energy trade and economic cooperation.
“Even before the actual trade started, Lithuania has already been approached by various intermediaries seeking to act on behalf of Ukraine. Such a path paved with old methods is not viable in Europe,” President Dalia Grybauskaitė said.
Neither Grybauskaitė nor Yuschenko named the intermediaries in question. Ukraine recently signed a deal with Russia on natural gas shipments this winter to avoid another potential standoff.
Ukraine constructed two nuclear power plants this decade and have increased electricity exports over the past few years. The country’s power sector is the twelfth-largest in the world.
Yuschenko assured Grybauskaitė that the electricity sale would be transparent.
“We are ready to provide one nuclear reactor for generation and export of electricity. The agreement will come into force on Jan. 1, 2010,” Yushchenko said. “This will be an exclusively direct supply of electricity.”
Former Soviet states increase ties
Over the course of the day Grybauskaitė offered Ukraine her assistance in further integrating with the European Union and signed an agreement the issuance of free multiple-entry national visas, recognition of higher education diplomas, and preservation of cultural heritage with Yushchenko.
As part of the visit, Grybauskaitė paid honor to victims of the Great Famine in Ukraine at the Holodomor Memorial and also met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych, a presidential candidate for Ukraine’s January 2010 election.
Ukraina is known as stabile energy provider :) Until next problems with Russia. Why don’t Lithuania build up own smaller power plants for heating and electricity while waiting for (possibly) new nuclear power station. There are good and effective solutions. For example in Finland they have leading technology by Wartsila. Finns are trusty and skilled in energy section.
Yes, we need our own power plant, but with this government it`s impossible. The first of all we need a new premier.