The Baltic Assembly and the Baltic Council of Ministers held a conference on energy future in the region, emphasizing renewable energy development

Press release, 17 May 2024 

The Conference of the Baltic Assembly and the Baltic Council of Ministers, entitled ‘Energy future of the Baltic States: addressing regional challenges together’ discussed closer cooperation among the Baltic States aimed at strengthening the region’s energy security and independence. Participants also discussed renewable energy in the Baltic States in terms of strategy coordination and promotion of joint projects.

It was noted that, since the onset of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Baltic States have accelerated their activities in the energy sector and are rapidly moving ahead with plans to diversify energy supply. The Baltic States, which used to be among the most vulnerable to Russia using energy as a weapon, are on the way to becoming immune to such threats. Although the Baltics have banned Russian natural gas and LNG imports for over a year now and actual gas deliveries from Russia were already mostly finished before the end of 2022, the Baltic States remain concerned about continued Russian energy flows to the EU, namely LNG, and support phasing out all Russian energy imports as soon as possible.  

According to Andrius Kupčinskas, Head of the Seimas Delegation to the Baltic Assembly and President of the Baltic Assembly, cross-border infrastructure and cooperation remain at the core of the regional energy policy of the Baltic States. ‘The work on improving key gas and electricity interconnections in the Baltic region continues, gradually alleviating the situation with existing gas and electricity transmission bottlenecks on state and regional borders. This approach further secures the energy security of the region and allows the region to be better prepared for the unexpected. However, despite significant progress, many issues remain to be addressed and a number of challenges remain in place. There is a need to deepen regional cooperation, enabling strengthening protection and resilience of the infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.

 Moreover, strengthened cooperation at the political level among the Member States around the Baltic Sea regarding energy security and accelerated cooperation on renewable energy supply are crucial,’ Mr Kupčinskas noted.

Producing energy from renewable resources is a key response to the climate change crisis and energy transition, as the future of the energy system is not going to rest its power on a single technology or a single source. Quite the contrary, there is going to be an integrated system, where hydrogen, onshore and offshore wind, solar photovoltaic, solar thermal, even natural gas and biomethane will interact in a united and coordinated system.

With regard to the development of renewable energy sources, important agreements have been reached on the development of new interconnections and the production of renewable energy. According to the President of the Baltic Assembly, the future of the Baltic States’ energy independence lies in the development of renewable energy capacities, especially in offshore wind energy projects, which require interconnections among the Baltic States, as well as connections with Scandinavian and Central European countries. ‘Currently, all the Baltic States are developing their offshore and onshore wind farm capacities and are starting to exploit the enormous potential of the Baltic Sea when it comes to powering energy transition through offshore wind. This surge in activity aligns with the heightened focus on energy security and renewable energy targets,’ Mr Kupčinskas affirms.

Renata Godfrey, Adviser, International Relations Unit, Office of the Seimas, tel. +370 5 209 6224, e-mail: [email protected]