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Sustainability and longevity of existing gas grid exploitation perspective are closely related to two fundamental issues: their ability to adopt to changing gas fuel production and supply landscape in the context of methane-based fuels, mostly, biomethane, and in the context of non-methane-based fuels, mostly, low carbon and green hydrogen. Renewable gases and their ever-growing presence in gas transmission and distribution systems open up a discussion about the necessity to revise and restructure the original – vertically integrated layout of the gas systems, where gas supply is only technically possible from the transmission system towards distribution one, and not vice versa. Development of numerous decentralized biomethane production facilities connected to the gas distribution system causes a necessity to ensure the possibility to pass biomethane surplus of a certain production area into the gas transmission grid, thus avoiding necessity to install biomethane storage capacities locally and granting other regions an opportunity to use said surplus in their gas consumption immediately. The article addresses biomethane production trends and actions taken towards the development of reverse flow gas stations in France – one of biggest biomethane producers in Europe to date, and opportunities and challenges, which this technique might face in smaller and less active renewable gas markets as the one of Latvia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The future of the European Union's (EU) gas sector and gas distribution systems in particular is under review as a necessity to move away from conventional natural gas is strictly outlined in its strategical energy framework. The main questions of future gas sector layout are largely related to gas decarbonization paths – whether they will include simultaneous transportation, distribution and storage of methane-based and non-methane based renewable gases or not. In general, this question is left for different Member States to decide, because as alternatives to it there are two options – decommissioning of all gas distribution and partially gas transportation and storage systems on the one hand and total replacement of existing gas transportation system with brand new hydrogen transportation and distribution system on the other. The first option leaves only liquified renewable gases (including, hydrogen) that are transported via truck and the second – pipeline transportation and distribution only for hydrogen, limiting methane-based renewable gases to road transportation solutions only. The Latvian gas distribution system is also facing imminent transformation in foreseeable future; thus, at the moment its sustainability priority is the maintenance of the existing system in a safe and secure manner by improving it in accordance with technical necessities and immediate customer requests. The current research shows two sides of gas distribution system priorities in Latvia – its maintenance and development trends prior to fundamental transformations of gaseous fuel transition and general transitional challenges laying ahead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Latvia, heat supply is provided in three different ways: using district heating (hereinafter – DH), local heating and individual heating systems. Heat energy consumption consists of heat energy consumption for heating, hot water and heat energy technological processes. The structure of DH consumers has not changed in recent years and the largest consumers of heat are households – 70 % of the total energy consumption. The district heating system accounts for approximately 29 % of the total consumption. There is also the so-called tertiary sector, which is made of municipal and state buildings with a minor total heat consumption of about 1 %. It should be noted that 65–70 % of energy is used for heating needs, and 30–35% for hot water preparation. In Latvia, heat of DH consumers is produced both in boiler houses (hereinafter – BHs) and cogeneration plants (hereinafter – CHPs). The latter also produce electricity. Over the past 10 years, the distribution of heat produced in BHs and CHPs has changed significantly. The heat supply of the Latvian energy sector is a system consisting of three main elements – heat source, transmission and distribution networks, and end consumer. Low efficiency of heat supply system elements creates risks to security of heat supply, resource sustainability and competitiveness. Increasing energy efficiency in the system as a whole, or in individual elements of the system, will promote the enhancement of the heat supply sector, while promoting economic growth as well. The research attempts to evaluate the energy efficiency of DH systems in the so-called left bank (hereinafter – LB) DH area (located on the left bank of the Daugava River in Riga). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural gas is relatively clean energy source, which emits less greenhouse gases (hereinafter – GHG), compared to other fossil fuels, such as hard and brown coal, and therefore it may be the most feasible resource to ensure smooth energy transition towards Europe's climate neutrality by 2050. Traditional natural gas can be easily transported and used in liquefied (hereinafter – LNG) or compressed form. As for biomethane, in future it also can be used in liquefied (hereinafter – bioLNG) and compressed form, as well as transported by means of the current natural gas infrastructure. It can also significantly enhance regional and national energy security and independence, which has been challenging for the European Union (hereinafter – EU) over at least several decades. Issue on energy independence, security of supply, alternative natural gas sources has been in a hotspot of the Baltic energy policy makers as well. Now, considering Russia's invasion in Ukraine, since late February 2022, a problem of the EU natural gas dependency on the Russian Federation has escalated again and with force never before experienced. The European natural gas prices also hit records, as the natural gas prices in the Netherlands Title Transfer Facility reached 345 euros per megawatt-hour (hereinafter – EUR/MWh) in March 2022. Therefore, LNG import terminal is the only viable option to reduce national dependency of the so-called pipe gas which in some cases, due to the insufficient interconnections, may be delivered from very limited number of sources. The European policy makers and relevant institutions are currently working towards radical EU natural gas supply diversification, where LNG deliveries coming from outside of Russia will certainly take a central stage. In case of Latvia, the potential benefits of the LNG terminal development in Skulte were evaluated in order to reduce energy independence of the Russian natural gas deliveries in the Baltic region and to introduce new ways and sources of the natural gas flows to the Baltics. LNG terminal in Skulte could ensure significant capital investment cost reduction comparing to other projects proposed for Latvia in different periods, due to already existing natural gas transmission infrastructure and the relative closeness to the Incukalns underground gas storage (hereinafter – UGS). Various aspects, such as technical, political and economic ones, were analysed to assure that Skulte LNG terminal would be a real asset not only to customers of Latvia, but also to those of the whole Baltic region, where in future it would be possible to use biomethane for efficient utilisation of existing and developing natural gas infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A common natural gas market in the Baltic region, which is in operation since 1 January 2020, means a single entry–exit tariff system for the natural gas transmission among Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and a common Latvian–Estonian balancing zone. Finland joined the market with a separate balancing zone, certain rules, contracts, invoices and billing, with a decision for full integration to be taken not earlier than in 2022. Lithuania is not currently the common market participant, because it is not ready to join it with such revenue splitting conditions as Finland, Estonia and Latvia. But still common entry–exit tariff zone countries are actively working to find a viable solution for market expansion. Lithuania and other neighbouring Member States of the European Union (hereinafter – the EU), first and foremost, Poland, are welcome to join. The creation of an integrated regional natural gas market in the Baltics in the long term will stimulate the interest of traders in the region, strengthen security of supply and improve market liquidity. Increased market competition, predictable prices in the long term, transparent tariffs, digital communication and customer-oriented business strategies are just a small part of benefits that will inevitably develop with time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite various benefits that the natural gas mobility can provide, CNG (hereinafter – compressed natural gas) and LNG (hereinafter – liquified natural gas) filling infrastructure both in Latvia and the Baltic States as a whole is still at the stage of active development. As a result, the natural gas fuelled vehicle fleet comprises less than 1 % of all registered road vehicles in the Baltics, but, with regards to transport and climate policies of the European Union (hereinafter – the EU), it has a significant potential for further growth. In order to estimate the perspectives of mobility of natural gas, including bioCNG and liquified biomethane (hereinafter – LBM), CNG has been chosen and analysed as a possible alternative fuel in Latvia with its environmental and economic benefits and payback distance for CNG vehicles compared to petrol and diesel cars. The review of various types of CNG filling stations is also presented, along with information on operating tax rates and currently registered vehicles divided by types of fuel in Latvia. It was established that with the Latvian fuel price reference of the late 2020, exploitation of CNG-powered vehicle was by 24 % cheaper per kilometre in comparison with diesel and by 66 % cheaper in comparison with petrol vehicles. CNG vehicles have smaller operational taxes, since they are based on carbon dioxide (hereinafter – CO) emissions, which are lower for CNG-powered vehicles. Calculation results also indicate that CNG vehicle payback time may fall within the warrant period, if at least 57650 kilometres as an alternative to a petrol vehicle or 71 531 kilometres as an alternative to a diesel vehicle are driven by it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A necessity to reduce greenhouse gas (hereinafter – GHG) emissions and energy import dependency, while coping with increasing energy demand, affordability issues and many other factors, causes the European Union (hereinafter – EU) energy policy makers to identify development trends that would help harmonize future energy market and technological changes with ever growing pressure of universal data processing digitalisation. In order to stimulate data processing digitalisation in energy, the European Commission has proclaimed a support to the development of all kind of the smart energy systems, where simultaneous use of the natural gas and renewable gases (hereinafter – RG) will play one of the major sustainability ensuring roles. Firstly, it will help achieve designated energy efficiency goals and, secondly, enable cost saving synergetic solutions at the early stages of the energy supply chain decarbonisation. Synergy of the natural gas and RG emphasises the need for a modern, smart and sustainable energy infrastructure to allow developing more flexible back-up and balancing power capacity, storage solutions and innovative demand-response mechanisms. This paper addresses some trends in development of the smart gas distribution (hereinafter – SGD) as part of the smart energy systems both in the EU and Latvia, with a particular focus on smart energy concepts, smart gas metering and grid modernisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The successful implementation of smart metering in the European Union (hereinafter – EU) depends on criteria that are mostly determined by the Member States themselves. These criteria cover the regulatory framework and legislation necessary for the establishment and functioning of the smart metering system, the fulfilment of technical and commercial conditions, as well as the security of data collection, archiving and use. The introduction of the smart metering in different Member States has started at different times. In Latvia, its reference point was 2004, when the goal was set to maximise the use of telemetry in the natural gas metering. Currently, in the Latvian natural gas distribution system about 85 % of all consumption data are automatically processed. One of the most important components of the smart natural gas metering is natural gas commercial metering devices (hereinafter – smart meters). They differ in both the principle and type of operation. Depending on the technology used, the metering range changes, and thus the accuracy of the measurements. The article addresses some issues of further successful implementation of smart metering in the Latvian natural gas sector, as well as the measurement accuracy for smart natural gas meters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Union (hereafter – the EU) takes a strong position in the global fight against climate changes by setting ambitious targets on reduction of greenhouse gas (hereafter – GHG) emissions. A binding target is to reduce those emissions by at least 40 % below 1990 levels till 2030, which would help make Europe the first climate neutral continent by the mid-21st century. Consequently, the expected 2050 emission reduction target for the EU is 80 %–90 % below 1990 levels. The EU's new economy decarbonisation framework – The European Green Deal – outlines and summarises Europe's ambition to become a world's first climate neutral continent by 2050. This supposedly can be achieved by turning climate and environmental challenges into opportunities across all policy areas and making the energy transition just and inclusive for all. The transport, and particularly road transport, is one of the most significant fossil fuel dependent segments of national economies across the EU. Oil dependency of all segments of the transport sector makes it the single biggest source of GHG emissions in the united Europe as well. Road transport is responsible for about 73 % of total transport GHG emissions, as Europe's more than 308.3 million road vehicles are over 90 % reliant on conventional types of oil-based fuels (diesel, gasoline etc.). However, there is a wide range of low-emission alternative fuels for all kinds of transport that can reduce overall oil dependence of the EU's transport sector and significantly lower GHG in road transport. Among these alternatives a tandem of the natural gas and biomethane could be named as one of the most promising for short and mid-term transport decarbonisation solutions both in the EU and Latvia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, problems related to the operation and exploitation of safe gas distribution networks are deepening in Latvia and Eastern Europe, as the number of outworn underground gas pipelines is steadily increasing. It should be noted that there is a rather wide choice of technology and materials for gas distribution pipeline reconstruction, while at the same time there is no universal method that equally meets all possible work requirements. Therefore, it is an urgent task to understand the operational algorithm, while choosing optimal reconstruction option, classifying and determining the criteria affecting the choice, and determining the scope of each reconstruction method. For this reason, it is necessary to develop a scientifically based methodology for selecting the optimal method for the reconstruction of outworn gas distribution pipelines. Therefore, there are the following tasks that need to be accomplished: to carry out a complex analysis of reconstruction methods and factors determining the choice of an optimal gas distribution pipeline reconstruction method as well as perform the analysis of current state and development of gas supply network; to develop an algorithm for selecting an optimal gas distribution pipeline reconstruction method based on a multi-criteria approach; to develop a mathematical model for the selection of an optimal reconstruction method and scientifically based complex evaluation procedures taking into account technical and economic criteria; to analyse the interaction of the polyethylene gas pipeline with the steel frame during the post-reconstruction process using U-shaped pipe; to develop recommendations for the optimisation of gas distribution network reconstruction programmes. As a result of these tasks, a scientifically justified methodology for the selection of an optimal method for the reconstruction of the gas distribution pipes has been developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]