On 7 December 2021, a remote meeting was held between representatives of the French Embassy in Lithuania and the National Energy Regulatory Council (NERC) to discuss the latest developments in the Lithuanian electricity market and district heating supply.
In preparation for the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union which will run from 1 January to 30 June 2022, France is seeking to carry out an assessment of Lithuania's autonomy, to which end the delegates of the Embassy of France in Lithuania have requested a meeting with NERC specialists to learn more about the energy markets in Lithuania.
Specific interest from the Economic Service of the French Embassy in Lithuania was expressed on the disconnection of the Baltic States from the BRELL network and Lithuania's regional policy of boycotting the energy produced by the Astravets nuclear power plant. In addition, French representatives were interested in discussing the new legislation currently being drafted on district heating.
During the meeting, NERC experts gave an overview of the Lithuanian energy market and district heating. Lithuanian representatives shared their experience and presented the main regulatory principles, recent developments and regional challenges in the electricity market. Meanwhile, in the district heating sector, the focus was on Lithuania's evolving regulatory environment.
The meeting provided an opportunity to further develop bilateral cooperation, which both the NERC representative and the delegates from the French Embassy in Lithuania identified as valuable. It was agreed to maintain bilateral communication and to provide up-to-date information on developments in the Lithuanian energy markets in future exchanges to facilitate the preparation of a note on Lithuanian autonomy by the Economic Service of the French Embassy.
