Wind farms are a matter of national security and part of the solution in the event of an attack on Latvia’s energy infrastructure, former European Union (EU) Energy Commissioner and current Latvian representative in the support group for Ukraine’s EU accession, Andris Piebalgs, told the LETA news agency.
“The lack of wind farms is not as important from the perspective of renewable energy use as it is from the standpoint of diversifying energy resources, in case Latvia’s energy system comes under attack,” Piebalgs said.
He stressed the importance of learning from Ukraine’s experience. Russia attacked Ukraine in four waves, with the last involving massive missile and drone strikes specifically targeting the country’s energy system. The most vulnerable elements in that case were thermal power plants and electricity transformers.
“If I compare this with Latvia, our infrastructure is even more vulnerable, as our hydroelectric and gas power plants could also be very easily destroyed. The lesson for us is that the EU must consider how to protect itself in this regard. In Ukraine’s case, we were unable to do so because Russia’s attacks were too massive. Ukraine’s energy sector survived because Russia did not target nuclear power plants, which were able to continue generating electricity.
At the same time, Europe showed strong solidarity and supplied everything it could,”
Piebalgs said.
Speaking about Latvia’s ability to diversify its energy sector, he noted that building a nuclear power plant takes a very long time, while small modular reactor technologies are not yet available on the market. Therefore, wind farms remain the primary option to help diversify Latvia’s energy mix.
Piebalgs also pointed out that developments in Israel demonstrate that even the most advanced defense systems cannot guarantee that missiles or drones will not reach their targets. Therefore, Latvia should assess the resilience and security of its energy system against such attacks, and in his view, wind farms are part of the solution.
Regarding Russia’s continued attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, Piebalgs acknowledged that the upcoming winter does not look any more promising. Therefore, sufficient materials must already be prepared to restore energy supply networks and heating plants. Currently, such reserves are lacking, meaning the EU must consider how to assist Ukraine while also ensuring its own security.
“If Europe cannot produce what is needed at the moment, it must look for where these materials can be purchased. It may even be necessary to break existing supply contracts with other countries, as priority should be given to Ukraine. This must be done by autumn, because Russia’s attacks will not change. The only way for people to survive the winter is to restore the energy infrastructure,” Piebalgs emphasized.
The post Energy Commissioner: Latvia’s energy sector is more vulnerable than it appears appeared first on Baltic News Network.
