Lithuania: Minister slams energy company's storm response, calls advice to buy generators 'disrespectful'

Lithuanian Minister of Transport J. Taminskas expressed strong frustration with energy company ESO's lack of preparedness for a recent storm, stating it caused significant problems across various sectors, particularly railways and telecommunications.

Taminskas specifically criticized ESO CEO Renaldas Radvila's suggestion that citizens purchase generators to cope with potential disruptions. "This is not an explanation, it is disrespect to fellow citizens," Taminskas stated, drawing a parallel to advising people to buy bicycles if trains are not running or fix their own roads if they are in poor condition. He argued that ESO should be providing solutions, not shifting the burden to the public.

The storm's impact on the railway system was substantial, affecting over 400 kilometers of the approximately 2,000 km network. Four passenger trains were removed from service due to damage and sudden stops, and signaling and level crossing systems were disrupted. While the railway system's backup batteries performed better than expected, lasting about 1.5 days instead of the planned half-day, the overall power restoration by ESO took significantly longer in some areas, with some outages lasting 2-4 days.

Adding to the criticism, Taminskas noted that railway workers independently restored power to the Vilnius-Kaunas line, implying that trains would still be non-operational if they had waited for ESO. He also mentioned that after completing their own system repairs, four railway brigades were dispatched to assist ESO. The storm caused widespread power outages affecting over 268,000 consumers, with about 80,000 still without electricity according to the latest ESO data. Insurance claims related to the storm have already exceeded 3 million euros.