New NPP in Lithuania will not cover demands for energy in all Baltic countries – Estonian expert

Andres Mäe, researcher of the Estonian Foreign Policy Institute, Estonia, answered questions about prospects of energy security and nuclear industry of the Baltic region.

Estonia is taking part in a nuclear power plant construction project in Lithuania, so is nuclear generation considered to be a good and stable source of electricity?

The Estonian government has supported plans of the state-owned energy company (Eesti Energia) to participate in the new nuclear power plant in Lithuania, in order to use electricity produced there to cover some of Estonia’s energy demand in the future.

Estonia has not yet adopted any official position on the development of nuclear energy. Still, individual members of the parliament and the government and scientists have recommended taking into consideration building a nuclear power plant in Estonia.

Construction of a nuclear power plant usually takes much time. In terms of energy security of the region may the Baltic States and Estonia feel lack of electrical energy before the new NPP is constructed in Lithuania?

Yes, there will be a small deficit in electrical energy production in the Baltic states after the closure of the Ignalina NPP. Latvia is already importing one third of electricity from Estonia, Russia and Lithuania, it will have to find another source to replace Lithuania in 2010. Lithuania will cover part of its domestic consumption with Elektrenai thermal power plant working on natural gas but it will also have to start to import electricity from Russia and Belarus. Estonia will cover its base load consumption by itself and will import electricity from Latvia’s hydropower plants to cover its peak load demand as it does nowadays. Estonia has also an opportunity to import electricity from Scandinavia via underwater cable EstLink.

Do you think generation capacity of the new NPP will be enough to meet electricity needs of Estonia in particular and all the Baltic states or other sources of electricity will be needed in a long-term prospect?

The new nuclear power plant in Lithuania will not be able to cover the electrical energy demand of the Baltic states and main reason for that is participation of Poland in the same project. One NPP is simply not enough for all four participants. Yes, there is urgent need for additional power generating capacities in the Baltic states.

Speaking about energy security of the Baltic region, theoretically may the Baltic NPP in the Kaliningrad region also become a source of electricity for the Baltic States and Estonia?

The Baltic NPP in Kaliningrad Region is already planned to produce electrical energy for export to Poland and the Baltic states. The region itself is too small to consume the total amount of electricity produced at the NPP.

(Source: Regnum)

Andrus Ansip: Estonia should have its own nuclear power plant

Prime Minister Andrus Ansip admitted that valuable time has been lost with the project of the new nuclear power plant in Ignalina, writes EPL Online.

Ansip stated at the Reform Party’s conference on economy that he wishes that a nuclear power plant be established in Estonia. “I think that Estonia should have its own nuclear power plant,” said the Prime Minister. Thus far he has rather supported Estonia getting stable nuclear energy supplies by participating in the project of the new Ignalina nuclear power plant planned to be established in Lithuania. Now Ansip admitted that focussing on the Ignalina plant has been a waste of time.

“We have lost a lot of time with the project of establishing Ignalina. It has been three and a half years,” admitted the Prime Minister. He stated that nuclear energy should be present in Estonia’s energy portfolio. “Estonia’s own nuclear power plant should certainly not be an issue on which debates should not take place.”

In his presentation the Prime Minister expressed his conviction that energy is a field of economy that will develop the fastest, despite the global financial and economic crisis. “One of the most certain areas where investments will flow into will be production of energy,” he explained.

Ansip said that Estonia would have enough oil shale for the near future for producing energy, but it is inefficient and will cause too much dependence. “Estonia has enough oil shale for another 30-40 years, but we are too dependent on it. Besides – it would be more profitable to produce oil from oil shale,” he noted.

In terms of security, Ansip stated that it is crucial to accede to the power networks of Western Europe. “Energy security means security for Estonia in a wider sense as well. In near future we will have to accede to the Central European energy network. Before they are constructed, we cannot think about guaranteed energy security in Estonia,” he concluded.

(Source: Baltic Course)

Estonia close to pulling the plug on nuclear power project

Estonian leaders seem to have made a principle decision that Estonia would distance itself from the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant project.

Postimees writes that both Prime Minister Andrus Ansip and Eesti Energia CEO Sandor Liive said on Friday that if Estonia decided to opt for nuclear power, the priority should be in building its own nuclear power plant.

This marks a new shift in thinking since it is the first time in the last two years when the government and Eesti Energia have been promoting the Ignalina project as the answer to Estonia’s energy problems.

“We are not ruling out participation in the Lithuania project, but if our long-term objective is to use nuclear power than we should prepare the construction of our own reactor. We cannot rely on the Lithuanian project,” said Liive.

Liive said that the Lithuanian project was derailed because of political disputes in Lithuania. Prime Minister Ansip added: “I don’t know whether the whole Baltic nuclear power plant project has come to an end now, but I am most dissatisfied about its development timetable.”

(Source: Baltic Business News)

Tiny Estonia could go nuclear, sees oil shale hope

Estonia, one of the smallest European Union countries, is considering its own nuclear power plant and wants to use its experience of producing power from oil shale in other countries, the state energy company said.

Estonia is the world's most dependent country on oil shale, producing 90 percent of its power from the sedimentary rock, though it is one of the most polluting of fossil fuels.

Estonia accounts for 70 percent of the world's processed oil shale, though large deposits are also found in the United States and other countries like Australia, Brazil and Jordan.

"If we look further to increase CO2-free power in general we are looking at the possibility to enter nuclear power generation," said Estonian Energy chief executive Sandor Liive.

"If we are talking about nuclear then in the longer term, I would not exclude Estonia. But this is very definitely a long-term project," he added in an interview on Tuesday.

Estonia has been in talks with Latvia, Lithuania and Poland jointly to build a new nuclear power station in Lithuania.

It is also considering whether to take part in Finland's planned sixth nuclear power plant.

"I think the Lithuanian and Finnish projects are ones that could happen during the next 10 years," Liive said.

Estonia going it alone would take much longer.

"If we take the horizon of 2055 then I would not rule out nuclear power generation in Estonia. But our thinking is in a very early stage," he said.

"It is very clear that we have to reduce the C02 intensity in our power generation portfolio," he added.
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(Source: Guardian)