“Lithuania’s goals of energy independence, strengthening the national energy system and transitioning to a climate-neutral energy sector will require an increase in the country’s renewable energy generation. This is a major challenge for the state, and the experience and partnership of the US in the implementation of the project is highly relevant to us,” says Albinas Zananavičius, Vice-Minister of Energy.
The modelling study is being prepared within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of energy signed between the Ministry of Energy and the US Department of Energy on 7 July 2022. One of the largest and most significant energy projects will be implemented by scientists from the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory together with the Lithuanian Energy Agency (LEA).
By mid-2025, following a comprehensive assessment of Lithuania’s energy sector, proposals will be provided and a model for the transformation of Lithuania’s energy sector will be developed with the aim to become a fully self-sufficient country as soon as possible, and to achieve that 100% of Lithuania’s electricity consumption is generated from renewable energy sources.
The results of the modelling study will be a set of different energy models that will form an overall model for the transformation of Lithuania’s energy system. The model will take into account the development and integration of power generation sources, the electrification of transport, industry and other sectors, the impact of the power exchange model, the use of hydrogen and green gas, and other aspects. The developed model will be used to simulate the main transformation scenarios. The modelling study will serve as a basis for updating and revising the strategic planning documents in the energy field.
The study will collect, prepare and model data for the entire Lithuanian energy system. A working group composed of representatives from the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Ministry of Energy, LEA and other energy companies will start its work this week. In the future, once the necessary preparatory work has been done, representatives of socio-economic partners will also be involved in the development of the model and the preparation of the study.
The project will build on a model of the energy sector transformation already developed by the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory and currently being implemented in Los Angeles, USA. Lithuania will be the first country in the world to have such a model developed for its energy transformation.
The preparation of the modelling study and the development of the model will be funded by the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF).
