LNG terminals in all three Baltic states will be needed – Lithuanian PM

VILNIUS, Apr 22, BNS – With Latvia and Estonia planning to build their own liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, the prime minister of Lithuania, which already has such a facility, believes that all three will be needed.  

"I'd hardly see any risk of something becoming redundant, especially if the European Union's steps to stop importing Russian gas are long term and sustainable," Ingrida Simonyte said at a joint press conference with her Latvian and Estonian counterparts on Friday.  

The Lithuanian prime minister was commenting on the question of whether the LNG terminals planned to be built in Latvia and Estonia would cause friction among the three Baltic countries. 

In Simonyte's words, Lithuania's Klaipeda LNG terminal and Latvia's Incukalns gas storage facility are not sufficient to meet the needs of the broader Baltic gas region "from Finland down to Poland". 

"The interconnections that are already in place or are about to come on stream – the GIPL link [between Lithuania and Poland] is due to open in early May – allow us to take a much broader view of the issue," she said.  

"The infrastructure that exists in all countries is important. The storage facility is in Latvia and the Klaipeda terminal is in Lithuania. That is not enough to fully meet all the needs."

Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins said that Latvia cooperates with Estonia which is planning to purchase a floating LNG facility this year, but added that this would be a short-term project.

"If we are looking at the development of the gas market in the medium term, there is another argument for Latvia to build a different type of terminal that would use the Incukalns gas storage facility. And it would be cheaper in the medium term [...] for every consumer," he said.