Baltic States – CIS, Energy, Estonia, Gas

Andreas Laane, chairman of the management board of Alexela Group, said that the gas exchange allows final consumers to buy cheaper gas.

GET Baltic as of July simplified the operation of the exchange by allowing all Baltic energy wholesalers and buyers to make direct offers to each other. "While earlier the prerequisite was a whole gauntlet of red tape, then now direct transactions can take place in moments and between all market participants," Laane said.

He said that this is the next significant stop on the road to the opening of the gas market. For example, there is no point for Gazprom to sell gas in the Baltics at different prices as the company with the most favorable contract can now sell it across the Baltic countries, Laane said.

As the next step, energy sellers are now anticipating a decline in infrastructure charges. "State border charges commissioned by Elering and other network operators on the transport of pipeline gas definitely need to disappear, as this encourages cross-border gas trade even more," Laane said.

"While at present there are two alternative supply points on the Baltic gas market -- pipeline connections with Russia and the Klaipeda LNG terminal in Lithuania -- then in the next few years, the picture will become more varied as the Balticconnector undersea gas pipeline to Finland and a gas connection between Lithuania and Poland will be finished. In addition to these improved connections, many LNG terminals on the Baltic Sea will definitely start offering new gas supplies under the leadership of the Paldiski LNG terminal," Laane said.