Minister: Lithuania Needs to Learn From Dutch LNG Experience

Last week, Lithuania and the Netherlands held the two countries’ first-ever forum on liquefied natural gas (LNG). In the welcome speech, Lithuania’s Energy Minister Rokas Masiulis emphasised the necessity for Lithuania to take advantage of the Dutch experience in developing the LNG business in the Baltic region.

“We want to learn, cooperate and see real possibilities for transposing the Netherlands’ practice into Lithuania and the region,” the minister said.

Klaipeda’s LNG terminal was one of the key topics in the seminar.

“The Klaipeda LNG terminal has opened up new possibilities to the regional energy hub,” Bert van der Lingen, the plenipotentiary and extraordinary ambassador of Netherlands to Lithuania, said.

A good deal of attention in the event was paid to LNG use as a fuel in road transport and off-grid gas supply to isolated settlements. As Lithuania is in the midst of preparation of proposals for the European Commission regarding investments into small-scale LNG sectors, the issue has drawn a lot of attention from the participants.

The founding of the LNG cluster, training and the importance of informing the public about LNG were in focus, too.

Representatives from the Dutch National LNG platform, Energy Valley, Royal Dutch Shell, and De Lauwershorst Groep gave presentations, while the Lithuanian side was represented by managers of Klaipėdos Nafta, Amber Grid and Litgas, as well as the energy minister.

Linas Jegelevicius