Latvia ‘can survive the winter with LNG terminals and gas storage’

Latvia has said it will be able to survive the next winter by using liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplied from Estonia and Lithuania’s terminals.

That’s according to Latvian Minister for Economics Ilze Indriksone, who made the comments during a visit to Paldiski. She added that the new terminal is important for the whole region.

Construction at Paldiski LNG terminal is on schedule and due to end in November, local news channels have reported.

When the terminal is complete, Latvia will be able to balance its gas flow between Klaipeda and Paldiski, Indriksone said.

“With gas supply, we really hope for cooperation — there is already a terminal in Lithuania, now a terminal is also being built in Estonia, and in we have the Incukalns gas storage in Latvia.

“I believe that in this way we can successfully survive the difficult times of the next heating period. Maybe in three years we will all be in a much better situation and the price level will meet the expectations of our economy,” said Indriksone.

Alexela and Infortar have been tasked with completing the LNG terminal by October 30 and Elering by November 30. If everything goes to plan, the floating terminal will be in operation soon after.

Estonia and Finland have a joint agreement for a floating storage ship and it will dock wherever reception capacity is available ready first, Elering CEO Taavi Veskimägi said.

“Market participants and customers do not really need to be interested in exactly where this floating terminal is located, whether it is here or on the Finnish side of the Gulf of Finland, because there is actually Balticconnector’s gas pipeline and we can receive gas from both sides,” he said.

Russia’s state-owned energy company Gazprom recently suspended supplies to Latvia. The country had already agreed to phase out Russian gas from 2023.

For more information visit elering.ee/en