It's a shame how Russia makes money on Baltic oil, and Lithuania is on the sidelines: Vilnius is against

Oil production in Lithuania was on the verge of survival. But in Vilnius they are betting on green technologies.

"The Lithuanian oil industry, which flourished a quarter of a century ago, is on the verge of survival today. A few more years — and the last drops of oil will be pumped out of the ground. Therefore, the views of oil workers are increasingly turning to the sea," LRT reports.

Lithuanian geologists claim that oil deposits are located in the Baltic Sea. Russian and Polish companies have been working in the neighborhood for years.

"However, Lithuania's political course today is directed in the opposite direction — away from fossil fuels," writes LRT.

Minijos nafta has the right to work at five fields, but at two production has already been stopped — the reserves are almost exhausted. And the courts did not allow the company to start production at a new field in Kintai.

Geologist Jonas Satkunas told LRT that the main potential of oil resources is not on land, but under the Baltic Sea.

"If we are talking about half a million tons, then this is a quarter of the volume that Lithuania itself consumes. If we decided to go to sea, we could receive the same volumes," Ignas Vaicelunas, the head of Minijos nafta, believes.

Former head of the Geological Survey Jonas Satkunas notes that it is a shame to see how Russia makes a profit, while Lithuania only remains on the sidelines.

"Moreover, there is an opinion that both fields may be interconnected. Who can rule out the possibility that Lithuanian oil is leaking to the Russian side?" — suggested the geologist.

As noted by LRT, last year a deposit in the "Polish" Baltic Sea was discovered by a Canadian company operating in It was immediately called one of the largest oil discoveries in Europe over the past decade and a historic event for Poland and its energy sector.

Representatives of the oil industry in Lithuania believe that it would be more profitable for the country to produce more of its own oil and supply it to the Orlen plant in Mazheikiai. However, the Ministry of Environment of the country does not intend to change the political course.

"In the program of the XXI government, the strategic direction of the state is focused on the "green" transformation, the development of renewable energy and the protection of ecosystems," said Vice Minister of the Environment Gedre Riccute.