This week, from September 18 to 25, representatives of the International Energy Agency will visit Riga to continue negotiations on Latvia’s entry into the International Energy Agency (International Energy Agency, IEA). This will be the second visit of such high-level representatives to Riga. During it, Latvia’s energy policy and preparedness for emergency response measures will be evaluated in depth. The visit will end with the conclusions and proposals of the IEA, so that Latvia can successfully complete the accession process to the IEA.
Latvia supported the decision to join the IEA in the fall of 2022. The first visit to Latvia took place this year. in spring. It assessed the basis of Latvian legislation on oil and oil products, as well as energy issues. On the other hand, during this visit, IEA experts will carry out an already in-depth evaluation of energy policy and preparation for emergency response measures, especially in relation to oil and oil product reserves, consumption limitation options. During the visit, the experts will, among other things, assess the coherence of Latvia’s energy policy with the common goals of the IEA, the availability and quality of data.
During the visit, IEA representatives will meet with more than 25 different institutions of Latvia – the Ministry of Climate and Energy (KEM), the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Education and Science, several institutions of independent countries – the Central Statistics Office, the State Control Office for Construction, Competition council, the Public Service Regulatory Commission, for merchants – AS “Augstsprieguma tīkls”, AS “Sadales tīkls”, AS “Rīgas siltums”, AS “Conexus”, etc. and also for representatives of the non-governmental sector, for example, the Association of Latvian Heat Enterprises, the Latvian Energy Efficiency Association, the Latvian Trade and chambers of industry, etc., as well as researchers from the University of Latvia, Riga Technical University, etc
The IEA will be represented by a total of 14 experts from the IEA, as well as the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden and the European Commission.
KEM State Secretary Līga Kurevska: “During the last year, in cooperation with IEA, we have worked intensively in order to rapidly move towards the set goal – to be a part of the IEA family. Membership in the IEA will provide Latvia with a number of benefits – the most important of which are the strengthening of national energy security and the defense of national interests through cooperation not only with European Union members, but also with such global players as the USA, Japan and China. Also, Latvia’s involvement in the work of the IEA will give an opportunity to strengthen our analytical work on the energy sector, using the data, forecasts, analyzes and recommendations available to the members of the IEA.”
During the visit, questions about emergency response processes and regulation, management of oil and oil product reserves and possibilities of limiting demand, natural gas market structure, infrastructure, natural gas and electricity sector policy, diversification and decarbonization of natural gas supplies, use of renewable energy resources in Latvia, energy sector will be evaluated and discussed. regulation and competition, aspects of energy efficiency and sustainability, Latvia’s climate goals, progress and development, strategic goals and instruments for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in economic sectors, as well as other important issues.
The IEA is an autonomous intergovernmental organization established in 1974 in Paris. It consists of 31 member states, including almost all OECD countries. The work of the IEA is led by the executive director, Dr. Fatih Birol. The responsible ministry in Latvia for ensuring the accession process is the KEM, and by July 1, 2024, the KEM will submit an informative report on the accession process to the IEA to the Cabinet of Ministers.
You can find out more about IEA here.
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2023-09-18 05:51:53
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