Estonian minister emphasizes importance of cooperation between US, Baltics in energy

TALLINN - Estonian Minister of Economic Affairs and Infrastructure Taavi Aas at a meeting of the energy ministers of the United States, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in Vilnius on Sunday said that in the coming decades, there will be a great deal of work to move towards a climate neutral economy, and mutual cooperation in terms of both knowledge and technological solutions will be important.

Aas emphasized that, in order to achieve the cleaner climate goal, we need innovative low carbon emission technologies and innovation. "As the same time, energy availability, affordability and security of supply are factors that must also be taken into account," he added.

According to the minister, there can be real talk of US-Baltic cooperation in the collection and storage of gaseous fuels, such as hydrogen, nuclear energy and carbon, in the future. "Already today, Estonian entrepreneurs are looking for transatlantic cooperation opportunities, such as the possible use of nuclear power with new, modern and safer reactors in the future," Aas said.

The ministers also discussed the synchronization of the Baltic power grids with Western Europe. "The reliability of today's power grids is also a matter of cyber security," Aas said. "In this context, Estonia can share its good practices: we have a 100 percent smart metering system in the electricity grid, an energy data sharing platform unique in Europe, and longstanding experience in cyber security concerning data," the minister added.

The ministers also signed a communique between the US, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania that encompasses cooperation on new technologies, cyber security in the field of energy, and diversification of gas supply.