VILNIUS - In order to reduce Lithuania's reliance on foreign oil and gas supplies, Lithuania should be developing renewable 'green' energy sources of its own, President Valdas Adamkus said Aug 9.
During a visit to the districts of Kretinga and Klaipeda, Adamkus asked about the prospects for renewables, the president's press service reported.
In the words of Adamkus, a clear national policy is needed so that everyday actions can conform to declarations and international obligations.
The state, Adamkus said, should create conditions for renewing energy sources to spread where the natural conditions are right, and the prevailing sources would be defined by the market.
Lithuania should be more active in cooperating with the Scandinavian countries that have the conventional electricity market and a 'green' energy market already in place, Adamkus believes. He also said Lithuania and Sweden should be linked with a 'power bridge' to provide both conventional and 'green' electricity.
Most attention at the moment is focussed on the proposed nuclear power bridge between Poland and Lithuania, making Adamkus' suggestion an intriguing addition to the energy debate.
In its EU accession agreement, Lithuania pledged to increase the production of electricity from renewable energy sources to 7 percent, and the total output of alternative energy to 12 percent by 2010. Current levels are below 4 percent.
