Minister: Eesti Energia reserve power task to be extended if necessary
Minister of Finance Keit Pentus-Rosimannus (Reform), who servers as the general meeting of national energy company Eesti Energia as the state's representative, said that without alternatives, the obligation on Eesti Energia to ensure at least 1,000 megawatts of power capacity needs to be retained.
"It is necessary for as long as there is no alternative. Recent weeks have shown a situation where we would not have such reserve capacity to be unthinkable," Pentus-Rosimannus told Vikerraadio on Friday.
The minister added that the government has also discussed whether and when reserve power could be organized through market offers. "It is probable that Eesti Energia is no longer the only one with this capability or soon won't be," the finance minister remarked.
"But as long as we do not have the alternative or certainty that it can be ensured in any other way, the owner's expectation will remain unchanged for Eesti Energia."
Asked whether the government plans to extend the reserve power obligation that is currently valid until 2023, Pentus-Rosimannus said that while the government hasn't discussed the matter yet, a power reserve needs to be maintained.
Ministers of the Center Party that shares a coalition with Reform in Estonia have recently spoken of the need to extend the obligation placed on the national energy giant.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski
