Latvia to supply electric power to Belarus :: Charter'97 :: News

Belarus has reached an understanding with Latvia under which Latvia will supply electric power to Belarus, an official of the Belenergo concern told Interfax on Thursday. The understanding was documented during Belenergo general director Sergei Belov`s visit to Riga on February 23-24. Although the exact amount to be supplied has not been specified, the official said it could be up to 200 million kilowatt hrs (kWh) a year. Belarus plans to purchase excessive amounts of energy that Latvian hydraulic power stations may offer during spring floods.

Belarus, which has never imported electric power from Latvia, ended importation of electric power from Russia and Lithuania on February 1, 2004. Lithuania supplied Belarus with 651 million kWh in January 2004 when energy was not being imported from Russia.

Belarus held talks with Ukraine in late January on receiving supplies of Ukrainian energy and drafted a contract on the supply of 600 million kWh at $0.016 per kWh. If those talks lead to a deal, Ukraine would send Belarus five billion kWh through Russia. Belarus has asked the Ukrainian Cabinet for assistance in working out this issue.

Belarus also suggested that Lithuania sign a contract on the direct supply (without INTER UES mediation) of four to five billion kWh in 2004. It said the price at which INTER UES would supply Lithuanian energy to Belarus was too high. Lithuania would not supply electric energy directly to Belarus.

Belenergo is also trying to increase the production of energy in Belarussian power stations. The company is counting on an early compromise with Russia on energy supplies.

Belarussian power stations generated 25.9 billion kWh of energy in 2003; Belarus imported 7.6 billion kWh in 2003, in particular 3.5 billion kWh from Russia and 4.1 billion kWh from Lithuania. Its debt in the payment for energy supplies dropped in 2003 from $54 million to $29.1 million.

The nominal power of Belarussian stations totals 7,700 million MW. They can generate up to 45 billion kWh a year.