In the Cabinet on Tuesday, October 11, an informative report on the purchase of electricity from Russia and Belarus was viewed behind closed doors. Consumers will not be directly affected by the ban, given that actual electricity sales from Russia have not been in place for longer.
“In practice, this has not affected the real situation, since the electricity exchange “Nord Pool” has already expressed caution in its decision to cooperate with a company that imports Russian energy due to risks,” explained Gatis Junghāns, board member of State JSC “High Voltage Network” (Augstsprieguma tīkls, AST).
On Latvia's side, however, there have been merchants who have shown an interest in the possibility of resuming trade.
"We had information that there was an interest in such an opportunity. But there were no concrete proposals. That is why we also want to secure it so that there is no room for discussion.
"Russian electricity should stay where it is and we will do everything ourselves and together with Europe," said Ilze Indriksone, Minister for Economics (National Alliance).
At the same time, the specific government decision and the forthcoming amendments to the Electricity Market Law do not foresee any changes to the joint network of Latvia and the other Baltic States with Russia and Belarus. The BRELL network is responsible for ensuring the stability of the electricity systems of the Baltic States and is scheduled to be closed only in 2025.
“As long as our energy system is synchronously connected to the Russian energy system, we have technical cooperation. The Russian energy system continues to ensure balancing of the Baltic energy system," the AST spokesman added.
There is a risk that Russia could also remove the Baltic States from this system earlier. Economics Minister Indriksone is convinced that Latvia is ready for potential desynchronization at the moment.
