Environmental experts criticise Vilnius council’s plans to replace natural gas with mazut, low quality and very polluting fuel oil, to cut heating bills this winter. The capital’s authorities, however, say this is a temporary solution.
Air pollution from burning fuel oil is up to ten times higher than from burning gas, says Aleksandras Chlebnikovas, a researcher at the Institute of Environmental Protection of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (Vilnius Tech). Moreover, the combustion of these fuels releases a carcinogenic substance that increases the risk of cancer.
“From an environmental point of view, this is certainly not a good and appropriate solution,” Chlebnikovas said.
According to him, an environmental impact assessment is needed to replace most of natural gas with fuel oil. Also, the capacity of the purification filter at the Vilnius Heat Plant should be increased.
“Currently, fuel oil has been kept as a reserve fuel. If it is now burned as the main fuel, I believe that the capacity of the existing filters will not be sufficient,” he said.
The opposition politicians also criticise Vilnius authorities’ plans to burn fuel oil this upcoming winter. According to Zilvinas Silgalis, a representative of the opposition Democrats “For Lithuania” faction in the Vilnius City Council, people should instead be compensated for the increase in heating bills.
“It is not the burning of fuel oil at the expense of the climate and the health of the population that would allow us to maintain last year’s level of heating prices, as Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte suggested, but rather the acknowledgement of mistakes and compensating the Vilnius residents for the inaction of the Vilnius government,” Silgalis said in a party statement last week.
“Poisoning Vilnius residents for the sake of a slightly lower price cannot be offered as the only solution because what will be saved will later translate into healthcare bills,” he added.
Linas Jonauskas, a Social Democratic MP, also cites the negative impact of fuel oil on the environment and health.
“In Vilnius, the most significant reductions in air pollution took place when the use of fuel oil in district heating was abandoned. As a result, emissions of sulphur dioxide, vanadium, nitrogen oxide and solid particles have disappeared or have been significantly reduced,” Jonauskas said in a party statement.
“The use of fuel oil instead of gas for heating would further increase the pollution levels in the city. This would undoubtedly have an impact on the health of the population,” he added.
Vilnius authorities say the plan to burn fuel oil this winter is based on the need to reduce heating prices for residents, as well as the possible gas shortage.
“The final cost to the consumer is the main reason why this alternative (burning fuel oil) is even being considered,” Vilnius Deputy Mayor Valdas Benkunskas said.
“Even taking into account that the fuel is more polluting, and we would have to pay higher pollution taxes, the final cost to the consumer could still be either at the last year’s level or even slightly lower,” he added.
Moreover, Vilnius needs to prepare for the possible gas shortage this winter, according to the deputy mayor.
“No one can guarantee that a complete interruption of gas imports to Europe from Russia would not disrupt the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG). There is a risk that there could be a shortage of gas in Europe in the winter, which could affect Vilnius as well,” Benkunskas said.
According to Gerimantas Bakanas, head of the Vilnius heat provider Vilniaus Silumos Tinklai (VST), the use of fuel oil for heating production would allow to maintain similar prices to last year’s. Moreover, heat could cost up to 12-13 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) more than last year if the fuel oil were not used.
To burn fuel oil, VST would have to purchase additional emission allowances, which would cost 30% more than when burning gas, Bakanas added. However, this would still allow maintaining the level of last year’s heating prices.
The head of VST also said that the company is currently preparing an Environmental Impact Assessment report, which will evaluate the possibility of burning fuel oil at the Vilnius Heat Plant. According to Bakanas, this is a mandatory procedure, and a final decision will have to be taken by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The burning of fuel oil in Vilnius would be a temporary solution, only used for one heating season, according to the deputy mayor.
“It is not a long-term solution. It is a temporary solution to get out of the energy crisis artificially created by Russia. It’s not pleasant for anyone to make such decisions, but they are the least of all the evils on the table,” Benkunksas said.
On average, 75% of the heat in Lithuania is produced by burning biofuels. However, in Vilnius, 44% of heat is produced by burning gas due to delays in the construction of the biofuel unit.
The biofuel unit is expected to be fully operational in Vilnius in the 2023-2024 heating season. (LRT/Business World Magazine)
