Poles dragging feet on energy-bridge

  • 2004-08-19
  • Baltic News Service
VILNIUS - Lithuania's energy operators are eager to find ways to shrug off the dependence on Russia's energy system though their efforts are being hampered by Poland, which has only managed to approach completion of the economic and financial feasibility documents for the establishment of an energy bridge between the two countries, the Lietuvos Zinios daily reported on Aug. 13.

The documents are required in order to obtain an EU grant for part of the project, which is valued by experts at 434 million euros. However, alongside EU support for the merger of the energy system with the West, which is a matter of strategic concern for Lithuania, the Poles also want to secure EU assistance for an upgrade of the energy grids in Poland and the strengthening of energy link between Poland and Germany.
"We will back the Poles because Lithuania needs a pretext to make final arrangements with EU experts. Our task group should approve of the Polish document," said Jonas Kazlauskas, deputy director of Energy Agency, a firm that is heading the project.