Lithuania stops Baltics power trade with Belarus, Russia over nuclear plant (updated)
03/11/2020 15:15
(Adds Baltics trade with Russia disrupted, Latvia to restart
trade on its own)
By Andrius Sytas
VILNIUS, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Lithuanian transmission system
operator Litgrid LGD1L.VL has ceased all power trading with
Belarus, saying on Tuesday it had detected the start of
production at Belarus' Astravets nuclear power plant which
Vilnius deems unsafe.
Lithuania bans imports of power from nuclear power plants it
deems unsafe, such as Astravets, an allegation which Belarus
denies.
"Astravets is a geopolitical project, but the ban is meant
to reduce motivation for it, to keep it from becoming
profitable," Lithuanian Energy Minister Zygimantas Vaiciunas
told reporters.
"At the moment, the law keeps Belarus from getting money
from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia".
The decision also bans Baltics power trade with mainland
Russia, which exports its power to Lithuania via Belarus. Power
imported from Russia's Kaliningrad enclave, which borders
Lithuania and Poland, is not affected.
There was no immediate reaction from Moscow and Minsk.
Lithuania is the entry point for Russian and Belarus power
exports to the Baltic States, which also include Latvia and
Estonia.
Russian electricity import and export monopoly InterRAO
IRAO.MM said that the termination of trade with Belarus by
Lithuania "was no surprise". The company planned to continue
supplying Russian electricity to the Baltic states market in the
open commercial section with Latvia, it said in a statement.
Latvian transmission system operator Augstspriegumu Tikls
(AST) said in a note to NordPool power market it plans to
restart trade with Russia on Nov. 5.
Separately, the Latvian government on Tuesday voted to ban
sales of Belarus energy in the country, and said it would
require origin certificates for any Russian power imports,
separating them from Belarus power, the local BNS newswire
reported.
(Reporting by Andrius Sytas. Additional reporting by Anastasia
Lyrchikova. Editing by Helena Soderpalm and Emelia
Sithole-Matarise)
((Andrius.Sytas@thomsonreuters.com; +370 682 74006; Reuters
Messaging: andrius.sytas.thomsonreuters@reuters.net))