VILNIUS — Construction of the gas import terminal set to loosen Russia’s hold of Lithuania’s gas market will begin this year, the energy minister said.
Lithuania is currently forced to use Russian gas to produce electricity and heat because it is only connected to the Russian network and had to shut down its nuclear power plant at the start of the year. In 2008, the U.S. government gave Lithuania two million litai (€580,000) to fund a feasibility study to see if the LNG import terminal could [private_supervisor]be built.
The floating liquid natural gas terminal could be finished as early as 2012, Minister of Energy Arvydas Sekmokas said in a statement.
Sekmokas said that Lithuania couldn’t afford to wait for Latvia and Estonia, who are also interested in the project, to make up their minds.
“Lithuania will really build the terminal. We can not depend on someone else’s plans, who knows whether it will be implemented. Lithuania consumes significantly more gas than Latvia or Estonia. The terminal must ensure that we provide an alternative supply of gas,” he said after a Cabinet meeting.
Sekmokas said private investors should step up to build the terminal, but if they don’t, the government will have to pay. The costs are so far unclear, however.
“Now we have one gas supplier without a choice and because of that we pay one of the highest prices in Europe. The LNG terminal is an urgent issue and we’ll ensure that the diversification needs of supply are met,” Sekmokas said.
Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius officially declared Lithuania’s intentions to build the import terminal, which will allow gas imports from across the globe, to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in a meeting on Friday.
In the meeting Kubilius also asked Putin to press Gazprom into making changes in its pricing strategy. [/private_supervisor] [private_subscription 1 month]be built.
The floating liquid natural gas terminal could be finished as early as 2012, Minister of Energy Arvydas Sekmokas said in a statement.
Sekmokas said that Lithuania couldn’t afford to wait for Latvia and Estonia, who are also interested in the project, to make up their minds.
“Lithuania will really build the terminal. We can not depend on someone else’s plans, who knows whether it will be implemented. Lithuania consumes significantly more gas than Latvia or Estonia. The terminal must ensure that we provide an alternative supply of gas,” he said after a Cabinet meeting.
Sekmokas said private investors should step up to build the terminal, but if they don’t, the government will have to pay. The costs are so far unclear, however.
“Now we have one gas supplier without a choice and because of that we pay one of the highest prices in Europe. The LNG terminal is an urgent issue and we’ll ensure that the diversification needs of supply are met,” Sekmokas said.
Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius officially declared Lithuania’s intentions to build the import terminal, which will allow gas imports from across the globe, to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in a meeting on Friday.
In the meeting Kubilius also asked Putin to press Gazprom into making changes in its pricing strategy. [/private_subscription 1 month] [private_subscription 4 months]be built.
The floating liquid natural gas terminal could be finished as early as 2012, Minister of Energy Arvydas Sekmokas said in a statement.
Sekmokas said that Lithuania couldn’t afford to wait for Latvia and Estonia, who are also interested in the project, to make up their minds.
“Lithuania will really build the terminal. We can not depend on someone else’s plans, who knows whether it will be implemented. Lithuania consumes significantly more gas than Latvia or Estonia. The terminal must ensure that we provide an alternative supply of gas,” he said after a Cabinet meeting.
Sekmokas said private investors should step up to build the terminal, but if they don’t, the government will have to pay. The costs are so far unclear, however.
“Now we have one gas supplier without a choice and because of that we pay one of the highest prices in Europe. The LNG terminal is an urgent issue and we’ll ensure that the diversification needs of supply are met,” Sekmokas said.
Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius officially declared Lithuania’s intentions to build the import terminal, which will allow gas imports from across the globe, to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in a meeting on Friday.
In the meeting Kubilius also asked Putin to press Gazprom into making changes in its pricing strategy. [/private_subscription 4 months] [private_subscription 1 year]be built.
The floating liquid natural gas terminal could be finished as early as 2012, Minister of Energy Arvydas Sekmokas said in a statement.
Sekmokas said that Lithuania couldn’t afford to wait for Latvia and Estonia, who are also interested in the project, to make up their minds.
“Lithuania will really build the terminal. We can not depend on someone else’s plans, who knows whether it will be implemented. Lithuania consumes significantly more gas than Latvia or Estonia. The terminal must ensure that we provide an alternative supply of gas,” he said after a Cabinet meeting.
Sekmokas said private investors should step up to build the terminal, but if they don’t, the government will have to pay. The costs are so far unclear, however.
“Now we have one gas supplier without a choice and because of that we pay one of the highest prices in Europe. The LNG terminal is an urgent issue and we’ll ensure that the diversification needs of supply are met,” Sekmokas said.
Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius officially declared Lithuania’s intentions to build the import terminal, which will allow gas imports from across the globe, to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in a meeting on Friday.
In the meeting Kubilius also asked Putin to press Gazprom into making changes in its pricing strategy. [/private_subscription 1 year]
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