Lithuania suggests support to Belarus in oil deliveries :: Charter'97 :: News

Lithuania suggests Belarus to use the Klaipeda oil terminal and Lithuanian railway as an alternative way for oil deliveries .As President of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus told the journalists in Washington during his official visit to the USA, the possibility of delivering oil to Klaipeda by sea, its discharging through the terminal and then its delivering to Belarus by the railway was discussed with Vice-President of the USA Richard Chainy and head of the ministry of energy of the USA Samuel Bodman.

General director of the “Klaipedas nafta” oil terminal Jurgis Aushara said previously that Belarus had considered possibility of the oil import through the Klaipeda seaport as an alternative way for oil deliveries, reports Interfax.

As it was reported earlier, Russia had not delivered oil to Europe since 8 to 11 January through the “Druzhba” oil pipeline due to the Belarus’ refusal to let oil transit through its territory without Russia’s paying duties for oil transit through the Belarusian territory. After signing a corresponding Russian- Belarusian intergovernmental agreement the deliveries were resumed in full volume.

After settling the oil conflict with Russia Belarus has been buying the Russian oil at the new price formula since 1 February 2007. In February the oil price for Belarus has been USD 225 per ton .Due to the oil price raise Belarus started searching for alternative energy sources deliveries.

It was also reported earlier that the “Transneft” Joint-Stock Company had proposed to build the pipeline passing by Belarus via the Unecha-Velikiye Luki-Primorsk route which power was envisaged to be 50 million tons a year. Employment of the new route will annul transit risks of oil deliveries to Germany and Poland. Semion Vainshtok declared that the oil pipeline could be built in less than 1.5 years.