EU against Belarus power imports

The European Commission is exploring measures aimed at preventing power imports from Belarus through Russia.

"We do not have evidence that would confirm that electricity sold to the Baltic market by Russia would have been imported from Belarus. But we are looking closely at all information available on trade flows," said Kadri Simson, EU energy commissioner.

She added that physical flows are "unavoidable" because Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are still connected to Russia and Belarus through the former Soviet Union grid. "That is why we need to address this problem through synchronisation with the EU continental grid," Simson told the European parliament.

Simson said the commission is seeking ways to implement a December 2020 call by EU leaders to prohibit nuclear power imports from third countries that do not fulfil EU-recognised nuclear safety standards. Baltic countries and EU leaders have expressed safety concerns over Belarus' two VVER-1200 units, with a combined capacity of 2.4GW.

The commission is "closely" exploring, together with Baltic countries, temporary regional measures before the region's planned synchronisation with the continental European power grid in 2025.

"Such measures include robust certificates of the origin of electricity imported from third countries or defining a grid use tariff also for import flows," Simson said.

The European parliament today adopted a resolution, by a large majority, calling on the commission to propose measures to suspend electricity trade with Belarus compliant with obligations under international trade, energy and nuclear law in order to "ensure that electricity produced in the Ostrovets plant does not enter the EU energy market while Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are still connected" to the same grid as Russia and Belarus.

By Dafydd ab Iago