• Lithuania needs to maintain existing power plants until 2028 to keep grid quality at a decent level. This will require a reshuffling of reserves and some overhauls.

• The absence of Russian gas in the region forces a postponement of Lithuania's inclusion in the Baltic and Finnish gas markets.

• Lithuanian energy infrastructure companies have sent equipment and repair tools for Ukraine's electricity and gas system.

Let us look at all that in detail.

• Fuel oil returns to the Lithuania's capital's heating sector to keep district heating prices stable. A state of emergency had to be declared to do this.

• The regulator has drawn up a list of requirements for potential offshore wind developers. It includes both serious and slightly bizarre demands.

• Klaipėdos Nafta (KN) found something to do during the European LNG renaissance. The company will help the Germans manage the commercial processes of their new gas import terminal.

Let us look at all that in detail.

• Baltic regulators found no wrongdoing connected to the 4,000 €/MWh power price incident on the electricity market in August. However, they would like to see technical adjustments to the exchange processes.

• The first wind farm in Lithuania since 2016 started operations. This and other projects to be built soon end the prolonged wind farm drought.

• The last step towards the end of state selling electricity to households is postponed until 2026. Probably unrelated, but the parliamentary elections will be held in October 2024.

Let us look at all that in detail.

• The government and the presidency squabbled (a bit like children) over who would go to the European meetings on energy. The haggling somewhat overshadowed the fact that the position both sides take is, to put it mildly, ill-considered.

• Details are being drawn up for a tender to develop Lithuania’s first offshore wind farm. Documents suggest that the first electricity generated there will not reach the grid until at least 2030. That is at least 2 years later than promised.

• In the face of the energy price crisis, the Lithuanian budget for next year includes €1.2bn in direct subsidies for households and businesses. That translates into around 1.7% of GDP.

Let us look at all that in detail.

• Europe has most likely permanently lost the Nord Stream pipelines, which, besides meaning a colossal shift in European gas infrastructure, might also have an impact on the Baltic States.

• LNG import infrastructure in the Baltics is tight, but only for a little while longer. Growth comes not without tension.

• We also parse European energy ministers’ decisions on energy savings and what they mean locally.

Let us look at all that in detail.

• For the second time this year, power system operators in Kaliningrad have postponed their isolated system operation tests.

• The Ministry of Environment’s very generous subsidy for the purchase of household power storage (batteries) has seen a great deal of interest.

• Also, there have been some developments on the Baltic offshore wind project front.

Let us look at all that in detail.

In addition to the dispute about oil production, we’ll take a look at the massive investment that is indeed coming to Mažeikiai. Also of note, Vilnius cogeneration plant project is moving forward, and Lithuanian energy agency is looking to build an app for you to track your carbon footprint. In addition, the tender for offshore wind is heading to the Parliament.

Here‘s all of that in more detail.

Germany's RWE Renewables visited Port of Klaipėda where it got acquainted with the Lithuanian offshore wind farm project. The company joins a host of big names drawn to the region by renewable energy megaprojects. Also, the “golden weld” of the region's gas interconnector with Europe was finished.

What is more, companies we are already familiar with will be installing a 200 MW battery system; and the region's electricity transmission system operators have requested EU funding for several more synchronisation projects. Finally, a solar power plant set up by a flooring manufacturer caught my eye.

Here’s all of that in more detail.

I have nothing in my notebook for you this week. Nevertheless, we have a whole raft of government measures intended to stop the rise in electricity prices to discuss. Besides, Orlen is promising huge investments in Mažeikiai oil refinery, the electricity TSO Litgrid has set out an ambitious plan to be ready to connect large amounts of green electricity producers to the grid. Finally, a natural gas power plant project in Brazil, that Klaipėdos nafta is helping with, has started commercial operations. And then there is the nuclear forecast that missed.

Here’s all of that in more detail.

Lithuanian Energy Regulator (VERT) has been in the headlines more than usual, both in the context of Lithuanian DSO’s tariffs and in the context of the Baltic countries' dispute over Russian electricity imports. Also, record gas prices are starting to chew at its consumers in Europe and Lithuania.

It is not all gloomy, however. Litgrid, Lithuania's transmission system operator, connected a battery to its grid, first of its type in the region. Also, Enefit Green, Eesti Energia's green energy subsidiary has committed to going public on the Tallinn Stock Exchange where it will raise money to finance its renewable energy pipeline.

Here’s all of that in more detail.

The coming winter season in Europe will be more stressful than ever: Gazprom has stopped pretending to be a "reliable gas supplier to Europe" and has resorted to as-close-as-makes-no-difference blackmail over Nord Stream 2. The silver lining here is that the Baltic countries are better prepared than Europe on average. Talking of silver linings, the Ostrovets NPP is shut for repairs w/o a clear restart date.

In other news, the tender to find a replacement for Lithuania’s LNG FSRU vessel ended with no bids. It seems likely we will keep the existing unit (use the buy-out option), although the company has not commented on what comes next. And the Lithuanian electricity DSO has once again rescheduled the smart meter roll-out for the later date.

Here’s all of that in more detail.