VILNIUS - Lithuania, which has no natural gas storage facilities, has said it wanted to increase the amount of natural gas it stores underground in Latvia by 33 percent.
If Lithuania had 15 million cubic meters of gas in the Incukalns underground facility in Latvia last year, now it wants to boost that amount to 20 million cubic meters, the National Control Commission for Prices and Energy said in its annual European Commission report on the Lithuanian electricity and natural gas market.
The document states that, this year, the Economy Ministry has commissioned a scientific-exploratory study to increase natural gas stocks for underground storage in Lithuania while continuing to use Latvia's capacities.
Lithuania currently uses Incukalns for emergency supplies, since storing gas at the facility costs some $10 per 1,000 cubic meters.
Last year, Germany's ESK conducted a feasibility study for the construction of an underground gas storage facility in the district of Telsiai, in western Lithuania. Geological research is currently being carried out in the area.
The study was ordered by two privately owned companies, Geonafta and Dujotekana.
Natural gas imports are forecast to reach 3.6 billion cubic meters in 2007 and rise to 3.9 billion cubic meters in 2008 and
4.2 billion cubic meters in 2009.
