Moscow has called on Lithuania to review a new draft methodology for electricity trade between the three Baltic countries and Russia that will lead to a sharp decrease in trade volumes after Belarus launches its Astravyets nuclear power plant, sources told BNS.
Recently, the Baltic states have agreed on a methodology to block import of Belarusian nuclear energy after it launches the nuclear plant that Lithuania considers unsafe. Electricity entering the Baltic states grid will now need to be certified, proving it did not originate at the Astravyets NPP in Belarus.
Meanwhile, as Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are gearing up to switch from the joint power grid controlled from Moscow by 2025, the three countries are also eyeing to reduce electricity imports from Moscow.
On Wednesday, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak sent a note to his Lithuanian counterpart, Žygimantas Vaičiūnas, calling on Vilnius to not apply additional limits to electricity trade through the Latvia–Russia connection.
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Moscow also calls for the Estonia–Russia link, which would remain closed under the new methodology, to be opened to trade.
"We estimate that the application of the methodology is discriminatory, worsening the current conditions of trade with the Russian Federation, the sole partner, and will inevitably lead to a reduction in the supply of electricity by about 1 billion kilowatt-hours per year," the Russian minister said in the letter, a copy of which was seen by BNS.
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Novak also assures Vaičiūnas that Russia's exporter Inter RAO will be able to provide, in a timely manner, certificates of origin proving that electricity entering the Baltic countries was produced in Russia.
If Lithuania closes its 1,300-megawatt power interconnection with Belarus, the supply of Russian electricity through the Latvia–Russia link will decrease to 900 MW. if the additional 0.62 coefficient is applied, the volume will decline to about 600 MW, according to the Russian minister.
Aurelija Vernickaitė, a spokeswoman for the Lithuanian energy minister, confirmed to BNS that the Russian note had been received, but did not comment on its content.
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Lithuania's power transmission system operator Litgrid says that up to 4.2 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity could be imported from mainland Russia to the Baltic countries, based on the methodology. If the 0.62 coefficient is not applied, the maximum volume could reach 6.6 billion kWh.
Vaičiūnas has said that if the Baltic countries produced more electricity domestically or if "certain interconnection control things" were used, the volume of trade with Russia could decrease to as low as 1.5 billion kWh.
The new methodology has already been approved by the Baltic electricity transmission system operators, but has yet to be endorsed by the national regulators.
Inga Žilienė, the chairwoman of the National Energy Regulatory Council (VERT), told BNS on Tuesday that the methodology in its current form would not allow Lithuania to implement its "anti-Astravyets law" and that it had to be improved.
The conservative Homeland Union–Lithuanian Christian Democrats (HU-LCD), the winner of the recently parliamentary election, criticised the methodology on Tuesday, saying it might legitimise "activities prohibited under the anti-Astravyets law".
The outgoing government says risks will be reduced by lower capacity and the planned guarantee of origin system.
The conservatives maintain, however, that these safeguards will be insufficient to bar market access for electricity from the Astravyets plant.
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