Lithuania may need small nuclear reactors to decarbonize its industrial sector – minister

  • 2022-11-03
  • BNS/TBT Staff

VILNIUS - Lithuania may need small nuclear reactors beyond 2030 to decarbonize its industrial and transport sectors and satisfy growing electricity demand, Energy Minister Dainius Kreivys said.

Renewable energy will be enough to cover the 18 terawatt hours (TWh) of consumption estimated for 2030, but power demands will increase later on, he said. 

"We will still have the possibility to build two offshore parks after 2030 but this will not be enough for us. (...) We are estimated to need about 40 TWh of electricity, if we fully decarbonize our industrial and transport sectors. (...) Small nuclear reactors will probably be the solution," the minister, who is in the US at the moment, told Lithuania's public broadcaster LRT.

Decarbonisation is the process of reducing the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted into the atmosphere as a result of human activity.

Kreivys says the technology for small nuclear reactors is still being developed and is not yet available. "We hope they will be available after 2035," he said.