Brussels, 18/05/2016 (Agence Europe) - According to a Joint Research Centre (JRC) analysis published on Friday 13 May, EU energy projections up to 2050 suggest that the planned expansion of electricity production sources in Baltic countries will lead to a low level of dependency in these countries on electricity imports by 2020 and 2030.
The electricity systems in Baltic countries are still operating within Russian and Belarusian electricity grids but it have improved thanks to new interconnections now connecting them to Finland, Sweden and Poland. According to the Commission, the interconnectivity of the Baltic States with the EU electricity market now stands at 22%.
The Commission added that the construction of new power interconnections to the European grid would improve the energy security of the region and the competition in the market. This transition is, however, a complex and onerous process.
The power generation landscape in the Baltics changed dramatically at the beginning of 2010, when the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (1500 MW) in Lithuania was shut down. It used to have an electricity capacity of 1500 megawatts, covering almost 40% of the overall consumption of the Baltic countries.
A new nuclear power plant in Visaginas (1350MW) is under consideration, with an investment of about 7 billion € and a construction time of 10 years.
The JCR report shows that Lithuania's network infrastructure is adequate and can sustain large quantity of imports.
The Latvian power system enjoys more market advantages due to the high ratio of renewable energy (mainly hydro) in its electricity generation mix.
Estonia relies on its own fossil oil shale and has the highest installed wind turbine capacity among the three Baltic States, but it does not have enough capacity to ensure the same strategic market position of Latvia.
According to the JRC, future nuclear generation in Visaginas can greatly improve security of electricity supply in the Baltic States. Even in its absence the Baltic States can still count on alternatives for power generation by other balancing resources like cross-border interconnections, storage capacity, demand response (energy efficiency). (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)