According to foreign media reports from Riga on September 15, in order to promote competition, the Latvian government finalized a plan on the 15th aimed at separating the domestic natural gas monopoly Latvijas Gaze. This move by the Latvian government is in accordance with EU regulations. The separation plan will be completed by the end of 2017.
This plan puts this Baltic state in conflict with its only natural gas supplier, Gazprom, which holds a 34% stake in Latvijas Gaze.
The German company Uniper is also seeking to sell its 47.2% stake in Latvijas Gaze; however, the sale process has been put on hold due to the uncertainty surrounding the future of this Latvian utility company.
Latvian Prime Minister Māris Kučinskis stated in an interview with Latvian media that the separation of Latvijas Gaze must be completed by the end of 2017. She made this statement after the Latvian government cabinet approved amendments to the Latvian Energy Law.
The amendments require the gas monopoly to establish a separate independent company to operate the country's main gas pipelines and underground gas storage facilities by April 3, 2017. By the end of 2017, the ownership of gas transportation and storage operations must be separated from gas sales.