Within three quarters of 2019, gas consumption in Lithuania has increased by 10 percent, and under favorable conditions in the international gas market, gas transmission to the neighboring Baltic States has almost doubled.
Within three quarters of 2019, 21.2 terawatt-hours (TWh) of natural gas were transmitted to Lithuania, excluding gas transportation to the Kaliningrad Region. That’s 20.4 percent more compared to January-September of 2018, when 17.6 TWh of natural gas were supplied to Lithuania.
During 9 months of 2019, 56.5 % from Klaipėda LNG Terminal and 43.5 % via pipelines from Belarus and Latvia, of the total quantity of gas was supplied to consumers in Lithuania and other Baltic States. The amount of gas supplied through Klaipėda LNG Terminal was 76 % higher compared to the same period last year.
During this time, 16.7 TWh of gas were consumed in Lithuania, or one tenth more than at the same time last year, when 15.2 TWh of gas were consumed. 4.2 TWh of natural gas were commercially supplied to Latvia and Estonia, almost twice as much as during 9 months in 2018, when 2.2 TWh of gas were supplied to other Baltic States. Almost the total amount of gas - 4.1 TWh, supplied to Latvia this year was transported during the warm season, that is from May to September.
One fifth higher gas flows to Lithuania reveal two important things: one is the increased consumption of gas in Lithuania and the other - favorable conditions for the import of LNG and the increasingly important role of Klaipėda LNG Terminal in the whole region. The Baltic States are fully employing Klaipėda LNG Terminal, benefiting from the favorable price situation in the LNG market during this warm season. The Latvian Inčukalns Underground Gas Storage Facility, which is becoming an intermediate stop between Klaipėda LNG Terminal and its supply to consumers during the cold season, is currently being filled to the technical capacity limit. The increased gas flow to Latvia indicates that free access to alternative sources of gas supply is important for the whole Baltic region.
During 9 months of this year gas transportation through Lithuania to Kaliningrad region amounted to 18.3 TWh and was 10 % lower in comparison to the last year at the same time, when 20.4 TWh of natural gas were transmitted through Lithuania to Kaliningrad. The decrease was due to the warmer than usual winter and testing of Kaliningrad LNG terminal at the beginning of the year.
Gas is supplied to Lithuania via Klaipėda Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal and from Russia via Belarus and Latvia. During the cold season gas is also obtained from Inčukalns Underground Gas Storage Facility in Latvia. In the future, by the end of 2021, after the gas interconnection between Poland and Lithuania is built, one more alternative source of gas ensuring gas supply from Western Europe via Poland to Lithuania, as well as other Baltic States and Finland.
Jonava Gas Distribution Centre
