EXCLUSIVE-Security fears push Lithuania toward gas-backed power despite climate goals

‌Lithuania's ​plan to build 10 new power plants to decentralise its electricity system is expected to cost €880 million ($988 million) and will likely rely on gas, its power grid CEO told Reuters, despite its ‌goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050.

The NATO member state on Tuesday announced a project to divide its network into seven self-sufficient grid zones modelled on Ukraine's wartime electricity system, allowing unaffected regions to continue operating if power is disrupted elsewhere. Sabotage, cyberattacks or extreme weather could all ‌push Lithuania's now-centralised power grid into a prolonged blackout if key nodes are taken out, Litgrid CEO Andrius Semeskevicius said.

Lithuania, which borders both ‌Russia and Belarus, will demand that new plants be able to start within 30 minutes, offer flexible amounts of power, and run for two weeks without interruption in an emergency, ruling out renewables. "You see the increasing threats, geopolitical threats... We have two unfriendly neighbours. We are surrounded by them," Semeskevicius said.

"You always think, what will ⁠we do ​if our network is attacked and ⁠we are not able to stop the cyberattack?" Private investors are to build 10 power plants totalling 800 megawatts across the country, which are free to sell ⁠electricity into the market while receiving separate payments for emergency standby capacity from Litgrid.

LITHUANIA TARGETS CLIMATE NEUTRALITY BY 2050 Lithuania's 2024 energy strategy called for becoming climate-neutral ​by 2050, growing its renewables capacity to 10.3 gigawatts by 2030. But, said Semeskevicius, "it is reality that renewables in our ⁠region cannot fulfil all the demand".

The plants are intended to provide power during periods of little wind or sun, which can last days or even weeks in northern ⁠Europe. "You ​need to cover those hours, days, sometimes weeks," he said. "You cannot provide energy for a week from a battery."

The new push for grid security is a continuation of efforts against drone attacks such as covering key energy infrastructure with concrete, or planning for ⁠a fortified key substation near Russia. Gas is "the obvious technology" for the new power plants, Semeskevicius said, although the tenders will not call ⁠for a specific technology.

"It's the most ⁠mature technology, easily available... investors are not willing to experiment on large scale," he said. "But again, it is up to the market to decide." Semeskevicius said national gas consumption would probably not change significantly because ‌the new units ‌would replace older, less efficient gas-fired plants.

($1 = 0.8908 euros)