VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Lithuania says it has lower itself off totally of gasoline imports from Russia, apparently changing into the primary of the European Union’s 27 nations utilizing Russian gasoline to interrupt its vitality dependence upon Moscow.
“Searching for full vitality independence from Russian gasoline, in response to Russia’s vitality blackmail in Europe and the battle in Ukraine, Lithuania has fully deserted Russian gasoline,” Lithuania’s vitality ministry mentioned in a press release late Saturday, including that the measure took impact to start with of April.
Lithuania managed to cut back imports of Russian gasoline to zero on Saturday, a transfer seen a milestone in reaching vitality independence within the former Soviet republic of two.8 million, the ministry mentioned.
“We're the primary EU nation amongst Gazprom’s provide international locations to realize independence from Russian gasoline provides, and that is the results of a multi-year coherent vitality coverage and well timed infrastructure selections,” Minister of Vitality Dainius Kreivys mentioned.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda posted an upbeat tweet on his account and urged different European nations to do the identical.
“From this month on — no extra Russian gasoline in Lithuania. Years in the past, my nation made selections that as we speak enable us with no ache to interrupt vitality ties with the aggressor. If we are able to do it, the remainder of Europe can do it too!” Nauseda tweeted.
In 2015, practically 100% of Lithuania’s gasoline provides derived from imports of Russian gasoline however the state of affairs has modified drastically over the previous years after the nation constructed an off-shore LNG import terminal, launched in 2014, within the port metropolis of Klaipeda.
The vitality ministry mentioned to any extent further all gasoline for Lithuania’s home consumption can be imported by way of Klaipeda’s LNG terminal.
Final yr, some 26% of Lithuania’s gasoline provides derived from deliveries from a Russian gasoline pipeline whereas 62% got here by way of Klaipeda’s LNG terminal and the remaining 12% have been imported from a gasoline storage in neighboring Latvia.
Baltic neighbors Latvia and Estonia are additionally closely depending on Russian gasoline however the operator of Latvia’s pure gasoline storage mentioned not one of the three Baltic states have been importing Russian gasoline as of April 2.
Uldis Bariss, the CEO of Conexus Baltic Grid, advised Latvian media on Saturday that the Baltic gasoline market was at the moment being served by gasoline reserves saved underground in Latvia.
Final month, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte mentioned Klaipeda’s LNG terminal wouldn’t have sufficient capability to offer gasoline for all of the three Baltic international locations.
As an answer, Estonia’s authorities has proposed constructing a LNG terminal collectively with Latvia and Nordic neighbor Finland within the Estonian port city of Paldiski, which isn't removed from the capital, Tallinn.
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Jari Tanner in Helsinki, Finland contributed to this report.
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