Nausėda Shares Lithuanian Energy Experience
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, President Gitanas Nausėda the experience of Lithuania in cutting its energy dependence on Russia and Lithuania’s plans to increase its renewable electricity production sevenfold by 2030. The President took part in a debate titled “Energy Security and the European Green Deal”, stressing that diversification of energy suppliers and the search for new routes for gas and oil is only a part of the solution to Europe’s energy problems.
“European dependence on Russia’s oil and gas is both an issue of security – and a moral issue. We can no longer finance Russia’s war crimes or allow it to control Europe through fossil fuels. Lithuania has learnt this lesson and we are now ready to help other EU countries and EU partners like Ukraine,” the President said. “Europe must decarbonize its economy. We must shift away from fossil fuels towards renewable energy – it’s good for business, it’s good for people and it’s good for the environment.”
President Gitanas Nausėda also introduced Lithuania’s plans to increase the production of renewable electricity sevenfold by 2030 and to become a climate-neutral country by 2050. “Today, Lithuania imports 70% of its electricity, however, with the development of wind and solar power plants, by the end of this decade we will become a fully self-sufficient producer of green energy.” Nausėda called upon wind energy companies to invest into two new offshore wind farms to be built in Lithuania.
The president also suggested that the Baltic countries and Poland could offer an alternative route for Ukrainian grain exports amid Russia’s blockade of the Baltic Sea port of Odessa, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda.
According to the president, the problem is twofold, as, on one hand, Ukraine cannot export its surplus grain and, on the other hand, its grain fails to reach North Africa, which could become part of a global food crisis. Odessa is Ukraine’s largest port and a major gateway for grain shipments, and the blockade of the port by the Russian ships threatens global food supplies.
