Wind power 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.
Renewable energy - Electricity : wind power
According to the above-mentioned national energy strategy a programme for the construction of wind power plants with a total capacity of 200 MW is to be implemented in the period up to 2010, whereas in parallel a long-term programme for using wind energy in Lithuania is needed (the latter programme however hasn't been approved yet). In January 2009 licenses had been granted for 230 MW.
Other measures mentioned in the national energy strategy are:
Reduction on the grid-connection fee in case a generator uses renewable energy sources for electricity generation at a 40% discount.
The Lithuanian Environmental Investment Fund was established in 1996 by the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania, mainly funded by environment pollution tax. The fund provides soft loans for financing environmental projects among which renewable energy projects (up to a maximum loan of 1.5 mio LTL per project, to be paid back over 5 years). In the period from 2000 to 2005 the fund provided means for 7 projects related to electricity production from renewable energy sources (five hydropower plants (in total 974 kW), a 150 kW wind turbine and a 750 kW electricity generation plant using biomass). In the period from 2006 to 2007 another 3 hydropower plants were supported, as well as a 2 MW wind plant.
EU Structural Funds have provided in the period from 2004 to 2006 financial assistance for the construction and refurbishment of power plants using renewable energy sources, of which mainly hydropower has benefited, and one biomass CHP plant.
Feed-in tariffs for wind power have increased in recent times:
2007: 6.95 eurocents/kWh (0.22 Lithuanian Litas LTL)
2008: 6.95 eurocents/kWh (0.22 Lithuanian Litas LTL)
2009: 8.69 eurocents/kWh (0.30 Lithuanian Litas LTL)
The tariffs apply until 2020.
Furthermore, in order to promote the use of wind power among farmers, the Ministry of Agriculture provides incentives for the construction of a stand-alone wind turbine of a maximum capacity of 250 kW. For these relatively small turbines without a grid-connection no license is required, and subsidies are available up to 200 thousand euro per project. Up to January 2009 no turbines have been installed yet under this scheme, further information is not available.
Future programme changes expected
No information 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)