Inquiry Regarding Cooperation Between the Baltic States in Ensuring Energy Security (No. 679)
Session: 15th Riigikogu, 5th sitting, plenary session
Date: 2025-02-10 18:42
Participating Politicians:
Total Speeches: 15
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 15m
AI Summaries: 15/15 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
During the discussion of the third agenda item, the cooperation between the Baltic states in ensuring energy security and the content of the inquiry presented by Lauri Laats, Vadim Belobrovtsev, Aleksei Jevgrafov, Vladimir Arhipov, and Aleksandr Tšaplõgin were addressed. In the first part, Lauri Laats was requested to present the inquiry at the Riigikogu rostrum. Therefore, the focus was on the level of cooperation between the Baltic states in the field of energy security and how to integrate Lithuanian proposals and public discussions. The second part covered various topics ranging from grid constraints and joint proposals to discussions on wind energy, small-scale energy production, and ultimately nuclear energy, as well as decisions made at the kilowatt level.
Decisions Made 7
To organise tenders for onshore and offshore wind power with a volume of approximately 2 gigawatts and to increase Estonia’s wind energy production in accordance with the coalition agreement.
Decide in April – May to design substantial subsidy funds for limited tenders of onshore and offshore wind power, and to accelerate planning and implementation activities for storage capacities.
Initiate the first phase of selecting a location for a nuclear power plant and to develop a plan, in accordance with the state and law enforcement authorities, to prepare for a potential decision on the construction of a nuclear power plant and to provide a decision by 2027 regarding whether and how to build a nuclear power plant.
Within network and investment activities, continue the construction of new managed capacities through Elering procurement contracts and Eesti Energia investments, while maintaining the reserve and readiness of existing capacities.
Drafting the Nuclear Act for the Riigikogu and its subsequent proceedings, which will allow a decision to be made in 2027 regarding whether and how to build a nuclear power plant, and within which the final authority for location determination will be established.
To support a market assessment of Kiisa station and consider influencing its market price if it leads to price reductions.
On January 2, 2025, the government’s fundamental decision and approval to allocate 100 million euros to Eesti Energia for the faster construction of the Narva gas station are officially confirmed and an order is given to the Minister of Finance and carried out at the government level.
Most Active Speaker
The most active speaker was Lauri Laats (pid 5VNfkRwGZMI). He represents the group of questioners and acts as the presenter of the question and as a member of the Riigikogu; his role is to guide and represent the discussion, and he is involved in submitting questions and organizing question debates. Position: other (neither left-wing nor right-wing).
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
As the third item on the agenda, the inquiry submitted on 13 January this year concerning the Baltic states' cooperation in ensuring energy security will be presented, and its introduction will be delivered by colleague Lauri Laats.
Lauri Laats
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
While talking about the Baltic states' cooperation in ensuring energy security, the speaker highlighted the proposals that came from the Lithuanian Minister of Energy in January and the comments made in the media, and asked what our current phase is, how we should move forward to deepen cooperation with the governments of Lithuania and Latvia, and what opportunities exist to strengthen energy security and to provide people with cheaper and higher-quality electricity.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The Speaker thanks and asks that the Riigikogu’s speaking chair be returned to Prime Minister Kristen Michal, so that he can respond to the interpellation.
Peaminister Kristen Michal
AI Summary
The government told Parliament that Lithuania's official proposal for a joint Baltic power plant has not yet been received, and if it arrives, it will be analyzed and will not be approved or rejected before the proposal exists; it was stressed that clean and affordable electricity is best for the economy, and in April–May they will hold onshore wind and offshore wind auctions, increase wind energy production, accelerate the development of storage capacities, and begin the first discussion on the location of a nuclear power plant; the intention is by 2027 to decide whether and how to build a nuclear plant and then make a final siting decision; new dispatchable capacities will be procured through Elering's procurement and Eesti Energia investments, and the Kiisa plant will be brought to market if this leads to price declines; to ensure energy security Estonia is connected to the Continental European grid and disconnected from the Russian grid, and in close cooperation with the Baltic states the Nordic–Baltic hydrogen corridor is being developed with the support of the European Commission; and 100 million euros were allocated to increase Eesti Energia's share capital to accelerate the construction of the Narva gas plant, to co-finance a gas plant with potential hydrogen capability.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chairman thanks the prime minister, states that there are questions, and asks Lauri Laats to present them.
Lauri Laats
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Lauri Laats asks whether the Baltic states' joint power plant would be sensible, or whether each country should build its own, emphasizing that building small plants tends to end up more expensive in the end, and discussing the creation of a larger plant spanning the three countries.
Peaminister Kristen Michal
AI Summary
The Prime Minister emphasizes that the Baltic states are pursuing very strong energy cooperation, and desynchronization from Russia's frequency band and synchronization with Continental Europe's frequency band are the result of long preparation, as evidenced by close cooperation with neighbors and the laying of a hydrogen corridor.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The Speaker Lauri Hussar requests that Urmas Reinsalu be invited onto the stage.
Urmas Reinsalu
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Urmas Reinsalu asked a question about the Baltic energy market’s 2035 consumption volume and its share of renewable energy in the three Baltic states, based on factual baseline data from Nord Pool’s market and the plans of Latvia and Lithuania.
Peaminister Kristen Michal
AI Summary
Prime Minister Kristen Michal said that he will certainly ask Lithuania about their forecast and assessment today, and whether they want to make changes to their plans, while Estonia's plans are known and he can clarify what is currently known about them.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
There are no further questions; Honourable Prime Minister, I open negotiations and invite back to the Riigikogu rostrum the representative of the questioners, colleague Lauri Laatsi, hoping to receive the information that Urmas Reinsalu has kindly shared with you.
Lauri Laats
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Lauri Laats criticizes that Estonia's energy policy is set up incorrectly: there is no concrete answer to the idea of a joint power plant for the three Baltic states, ENMAK has been thrown into the trash, and the government is investing in green energy and strengthening the grid before it is clear what the level of consumer electricity prices will be, which means that investments are paid for by the consumer and the taxpayer does not benefit from it, and we must listen to signals from Europe and the USA and better organize cooperation.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chair thanked and informed that there were no requests to speak, and invited the prime minister to speak from the Riigikogu's podium.
Peaminister Kristen Michal
AI Summary
Prime Minister Kristen Michal said that Baltic cooperation is very good and close, and interstate relations do not operate in such a way that when an idea arises, others start building a joint power plant; he stressed that there would be no impression from the questioners that he and the other ministers constantly communicate on issues of governance, energy and security, and that during desynchronization cooperation runs smoothly, although the opposition tries to provoke discord on every topic, but there is no substance to it and it probably won’t come out.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chair thanks the participants, closes the negotiations and ends today's discussion of the third agenda item.