Baltic PMs visiting Lithuania’s LNG terminal in Klaipėda

“The prime ministers of t he Baltic states will visit the liquefied natural gas terminal where they will be briefed on the terminal’s model of operations, its importance for the Baltic region, possibilities and possible cooperation perspectives,” said Klaipėdos Nafta (Klaipėda Oil), the operator of the LNG terminal.

Lithuania wants the Klaipėda LNG terminal to be listed as a regional terminal, which would enable it to secure European Union (EU) support, which, according to informal reports, may reach up to 100-150 million euros.

However, Estonia’s Prime Minister Juri Ratas said earlier this week that the Lithuanian terminal was just a temporary solution, emphasizing the need to build a terminal in Estonia to secure diversified gas supplies in the long run.

During a visit in Tallinn in early May, Lithuania’s Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis expressed belief that the Blatic states would manage to agree on the Klaipėda LNG terminal being the regional utility eligible for EU support.

Unofficial reports are that the European Commission will grant no support whatsoever, if the Baltic states fail to agree on a regional LNG terminal. In February, EC rejected an application from Estonia’s Alexela for up to 39 percent of funding of the construction of the 344-million-euro LNG terminal in the Paldiski port.