Latvian and Lithuanian energy ministers to discuss negotiations on power trade

VILNIUS - Lithuanian Energy Minister Dainius Kreivys is leaving for Riga on Wednesday where he will discuss the progress of the ongoing negotiations on trade in electricity with third countries with his Latvian counterparts Janis Vitenbergs.

Decisions in these negotiations had been expected by June 24 but the Lithuanian and Latvian prime ministers, who met earlier this month, agreed to hold one more meeting of their energy ministers, Lithuania's Energy Ministry says.

With the European Commission's mediation, Lithuania is holding negotiations with Latvia and Estonia on rules aimed at preventing electricity produced by the Belarus-based Astravyets nuclear power plant from entering the Lithuanian market.

"Under the existing unilaterally-applied rules on trade in power with third countries, the Lithuanian-Belarusian interconnections are used for the imports of Belarusian electricity into the Baltic states' market. That is unacceptable," Kreivys was quoted as saying in a statement.

Lithuania now maintains that the existing rules Latvia and Estonia apply not only do not prevent Astravyets electricity from entering the Baltic states, but also disrupts internal EU trade by granting privilege to electricity produced in third countries.