US to Support Nuclear Power Development in Lithuania

Lithuania and the United States have signed an agreement that secures American support for the development of nuclear energy-fueled electricity generation in the Baltic state and in turn the decoupling of the Baltic power grid from Russia.

“This agreement marks the first such intergovernmental framework led by the Department of Energy with a specific focus on the deployment of fourth-generation small modular reactors and represents a significant element of the United States’ advancement of the development of clean, safe, and reliable nuclear power for partners and allies”, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) said in an online statement.

The pact will “reinforce Lithuania’s capacity to serve as a regional energy exporter, particularly as all the Baltic states desynchronize from the Russian electricity grid and connect to Europe’s continental grid network”, the DOE said.

“The Agreement will also serve to bolster the U.S. civil nuclear industry, U.S. technological leadership and U.S. competitiveness while advancing the highest standards of safety and security”.

Lithuanian Energy Minister Dainius Kreivys said, “Lithuania is particularly interested in the U.S experience in developing next-generation nuclear power technologies which could provide secure, safe and reliable supply of energy to meet the country's growing energy needs and achieve climate-neutrality goals”.

“This agreement between the U.S. and Lithuania will help to make an informed decision on the development of next-generation nuclear power in Lithuania”, Kreivys added.

Lithuania and Baltic neighbors Estonia and Latvia agreed last year to accelerate the decoupling of their power infrastructure from Russia for integration with continental Europe, in a move prompted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Under a joint declaration by their prime ministers, "the deadline for synchronization [with the Continental Europe Network] is brought forward from the end of 2025, as initially established by political declarations in 2018 and 2019, to February 2025", the European Commission said in a statement August 3, 2023.

The latest declaration cited risks from the Russia-Ukraine war. Russia’s invasion launched February 2022 has "significantly deteriorated the energy security situation in the region and increased the risks of unplanned de-synchronization of the Baltic States’ electricity systems from IPS/UPS", read the text of the declaration, referring to the grid system linking the three countries to Russia.

The three nations' electricity supply systems are already connected with Finland, Poland and Sweden. "For historical reasons, however, the Baltic States' electricity grid is still operated in a synchronous mode with the Russian and Belarusian systems", the Commission explained. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were part of the Soviet Union.

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