Latvia bans Russian gas supplies from January 2023
Riga, Jul 14 (EFE).- Latvia’s parliament has approved a ban on natural gas imports from Russia as of January 1, 2023, local media reported Thursday.
The amendments to the energy law were adopted earlier this year in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the crippling sanctions against Moscow.
In recent months, Latvia and the other Baltic countries have been working to secure alternative gas supplies, mainly liquified natural gas (LNG), from Norway and the United States, among others.
The Conexus Baltic Grid gas pipeline and storage network, with underground storage facilities in the Latvian town of Incukalns, has been connected to the Polish gas pipeline network and is expected to add an LNG terminal in Estonia in the fall.
The LNG planned for the Baltic network is currently unloaded and turned into gas in the Lithuanian city of Klaipeda, where a terminal was built long before the onslaught on Ukraine and the growing tensions with Russia, including threats to cut off gas deliveries.
Eesti Gaas, Estonia’s privately-owned natural gas and energy company, announced recently that it has signed an agreement with Norway’s energy firm Equinor to purchase LNG to ensure a sufficient supply for the winter season.
The deal, providing deliveries via the Klaipeda LNG terminal in October and November, amounts to around 300 million euros.EFE
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