The minister claims that she cannot consider the future of nuclear energy since the energy sector does not fall within the remit of the minister for economy.
She also says that she fully supports the implementation of the European Union’s (EU) Third Energy Package, which provides for ownership unbundling in the natural gas market.
“You are trying me for interpretations made in the press,” she said at the meeting with the members of the opposition parliamentary group of the Conservative Homeland Union–Lithuanian Christian Democrats on Thursday. The MPs asked the minister to report on the activities of the Ministry of Economy and to explain some of her recent statements about the national energy sector.
The minister urged “to look who is doing what instead of listening of what someone is saying.” She claimed that some media reports had been a “provocation” on the eve of Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius’ visit to Russia.
Vėsaitė stated that she supported the implementation of the requirements of the Third Energy Package in Lithuania. “And with no delays,” she said.
Last week, the minister stated that Lithuania could have opted to implement the Third Energy Package at a slower pace, like the other two Baltic countries which now pay around 20 percent less for natural gas supplied by Russia’s gas giant Gazprom.
“I’d think that we could implement the third liberalization package the way that Estonians are implementing it, with minimum losses for our consumers. I’d think that the same goals can be achieved with more care about our consumers and our business competitiveness,” she said in an interview to Žinių Radijas last Thursday.
The implementation of the third energy package, which provides for unbundling of gas transmission, distribution and supply operations, has sparked disputes between Lithuania and Gazprom.
Lithuania plans to unbundle the assets of Lietuvos Dujos (Lithuanian Gas), in which Gazprom holds a 37.1 percent stake, by the end of 2014 to bring it into line with the third energy package. Following the reorganization, Lietuvos Dujos' gas transmission pipelines will be spun off into a new company.
Vėsaitė also said last week that Lithuania did not need the nuclear reactor proposed by Japan’s Hitachi.
This Thursday, asked repeatedly by the Conservative MPs about her stance on the outlook for nuclear energy, Vėsaitė would reply that this area fell within the remit of the minister for energy. She also said that scientific estimates pertaining to potential construction of a new nuclear facility should be obtained in the first place.
President Dalia Grybauskaitė said in response to Vėsaitė’s statements about energy that ministers making conflicting statements was bad for Lithuania's image.
Butkevičius, meanwhile, expressed confidence in Vėsaitė. Earlier he said that the members of the Cabinet could not make unilateral statements and should refrain from expressing personal opinions, in particular on energy matters.
