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Biofuels in Lithuania

General
The national energy strategy of 18 January 2008 discusses the issues currently at stake in Lithuania, namely energy efficiency, energy security and environmental and management improvement. Specifically for Lithuania, the fast economic development and the decommissioning of the main nuclear power plant (Ignalina) in the end of the year 2009 are developments to be noted. The strategy predicts that wind power plants and biomass plants will contribute 7% of the electricity generation in 2010. National targets are to increase the share of renewable energy resources in the national balance of primary energy to 20% by 2025 (approximately 10.8% in the year 2005) and to increase the share of biofuels in the country’s market of the fuel used in transportation up to 15% in 2020 and up to 20% in 2025.

According to the Directive 2009/28/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources the target for the share of energy from renewable sources in gross final consumption of energy in the year 2020 for Lithuania is 23% (in the year 2005 the share was 15.0%). The Directive has a mandatory 10% target for transport to be achieved by all Member States, which refers to renewable sources as a whole, not biofuels alone.

Renewable energy projections according to the National Renewable Energy Action Plan for Lithuania
The National Renewable Energy Action Plan (NREAP) for Lithuania was submitted in July 2010. The target according to Annex I of Directive 2009/28/EC is 23% for the year 2020 and the projected NREAP share in that year is 24.0%.  According to the projection, the most important contribution in the year 2020 is expected from biomass (renewable heating and cooling) (1023 ktoe, 69% of all renewable energy). Second important contribution is expected from biodiesel (renewable transport) (131 ktoe, 9% of all renewable energy). The third largest contribution is from wind power (1.3 TWh or 107 ktoe, 7% of all renewable energy). Wind power contributes with 0.5 GW (1.3 TWh) in the year 2020 (all onshore wind). For solar photovoltaic the 2020 contribution is projected to be 10 MW (15 GWh). For solar thermal the 2020 contribution is projected to be 9 ktoe. The two most important biofuels are projected to contribute 131 ktoe (biodiesel) and 36 ktoe (bioethanol / bio-ETBE) by 2020. The renewable electricity production from solid biomass amounts to 0.8 TWh (70 ktoe) and for biogas it is expected to be 0.4 TWh (36 ktoe). The consumption of renewable heat is expected to amount to 973 ktoe for solid biomass and 50 ktoe for biogas.

RES – Transport fuels (biofuels)
The National Energy Strategy is mainly focused on the development of the indigenous and renewable energy sources sector. Principal targets of the National Energy Strategy are related to the use of renewable energy sources:
The Government or institutions authorised by the Government shall prepare measures ensuring that the share of biofuels would account for not less than 2% and 5.75% of the total energy quantity of petrol and diesel fuel intended for transport available in the market of the country by 31 December 2005 and 31 December 2010, correspondingly. To increase the share of biofuels in the country’s market of fuels intended for transport to 10 % by 2020.

A portion of the price of rape oil intended for the production of rapeseed methyl (ethyl) ester (RME) and a portion of the price of rape seed and cereal grain purchased for the production of dehydrated ethanol shall be compensated. A portion of the price of rape oil intended for the production of rapeseed methyl (ethyl) ester (RME) and a portion of the price of rape seed and cereal grain purchased for the production of dehydrated ethanol shall be compensated. The start date of implementation of the scheme was 2004; the end date of the scheme is 31 December 2012.


Future programme changes expected
No information is available.

Sources

Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, Resolution On the Approval of the National Energy Strategy, 18 January 2007  No X-1046, Vilnius (official translation)

Report of the Republic of Lithuania on the Implementation of the Requirements of Article 3 And Article 5 of Directive 2001/77/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 September 2001 on the Promotion of Electricity Produced from Renewable Energy Sources in the Internal Electricity Market

http://ec.europa.eu/energy/res/legislation/doc/electricity/member_states/2006/lithuania_en.pdf (sourced September 2008)

ELOBIO, Inventory of biofuel policy measures and their impact on the market, September 2008,  http://www.elobio.eu/publications

Directive 2009/28/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources and amending and subsequently repealing Directives 2001/77/EC and 2003/30/EC (Entry into force on June 25th, 2009), download from http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32009L0028:EN:NOT

The National Renewable Energy Action Plans (NREAPs) are all published on the Transparency Platform on Renewable Energy: http://ec.europa.eu/energy/renewables/transparency_platform/action_plan_en.htm (sourced July - December 2010)

Renewable Energy Projections as Published in the National Renewable Energy Action Plans of the European Member States, http://www.ecn.nl/nreap (sourced December 2010)

Interactive EurObserv’ER Database
http://www.ecn.nl/nreap
Last update: June 2011


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