Russian state energy firm Inter RAO has said it does not rule out the possibility that sales of electricity to Finland and other EU countries will resume, despite the war in Ukraine.
A report by the Russian business daily Kommersant revealed that Russia's electricity system operator, Sistemnij Operator, has included electricity exports to the EU in its energy system development programme for 2023-2028, based on data provided by Inter RAO.
According to Inter RAO's figures, electricity exports to Finland could reach 4 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) in 2023, and a total of 24 billion kilowatt hours between 2023 and 2028. The company also said it expects to sell about 2.4 billion kWh to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania this year.
Igor Ananskih, the First Deputy Chair of the Russian Duma's Energy Committee, confirmed to the daily Izvestia that Russian electricity sales to the EU could be restored.
"I think it is possible. I am convinced that the initial emotional reactions and the rejection of cheap Russian energy sources are now over," Ananskih said, adding that any possible resumption of the supply of electricity to the European Union would depend on wider geo-political issues.
A spokesperson for Finland's Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment told Yle that the issue of resuming electricity imports from Russia has not even been discussed within the ministry.
"Electricity imports from Russia are by no means a topical issue at the moment," Riku Huttunen, Director General of the ministry's Energy Department, said.
Russia halted the exporting of electricity to Finland in May last year, with RAO Nordic saying at the time that supplies were being suspended "due to difficulties in payment transactions".
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