Ministry press release
Lithuania’s Energy Ministry said the country has been doing without Russian gas imports since earlier this month in a bid to achieve “full energy independence” from Russia in response to “Russian energy blackmail” and the invasion of Ukraine. The confirmation also comes from data from Lithuania’s gas transmission system operator Amber Grid, which shows that imports of Russian gas for Lithuania’s needs via the LithuaniaBelarus interconnector were zero megawatts (MWh) as of April 2, the ministry said in a statement.
“We are the first EU country among Gazprom suppliers to become independent of Russian gas supplies, and this is the result of several years of consistent energy policy process and timely decisions on infrastructure,” said Lithuanian Energy Minister Dainius Kreivys. The minister believes the milestone was “a turning point” in the history of Lithuania’s energy independence and said Russia’s demand to pay for Russian gas in rubles “makes no sense”.
Kreivys said the country’s gas needs will continue to be met, albeit by regasification plants for liquefied natural gas arriving in the port city of Klaipeda. Lithuania commissioned the floating facility in early 2015 to reduce its dependence on Russian gas imports, according to dpa. In March, the Lithuanian parliament asked the government to stop importing and consuming Russian energy amid the invasion of Ukraine and constant energy threats from the Kremlin.