Strategic reorientation: Biržai District Municipality implements the Energy Circle project to strengthen energy independence

Article written by Vaida Dževečkaitė – Klepeckienė and Lina Kiršienė

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Lithuania abandoned its dependence on Russian energy resources by redirecting imports through connections with the Nordic countries and Poland and synchronizing its electricity grids with Europe. These diversification measures led to record energy price increases and high inflation in the country.

The financial pressure due to significantly increased electricity and heating costs and the need to apply energy saving measures was also felt by the Biržai district municipality administration. However, the solutions applied were short-term and fragmented. Over time, it became obvious that without consistent, circular and long-term planning, such measures are not effective.

This has led to an interest in long-term solutions – moving from so-called “sprint” solutions to long-term, “marathon”-based management. This is exactly the approach that the Energy Circle project aims to establish.

Biržai District Municipality Administration participates in the project as a local public authority and plays a dual role – it contributes to the development of the overall project results and is one of the main target groups to which these results will be directly applied. The main role of the municipality is to contribute to the improvement of long-term energy independence planning processes and ensure that the solutions developed are practically applicable in the real context of the municipality.

It is planned that by the end of the project – 2028. Biržai district municipality will be ready to use and further develop the developed methodologies and implement two pilot project activities. Biržai district municipality, in order to promote sustainable changes in the region, will establish a local working group in its territory, which will be responsible for the consistent supervision and implementation of project activities. The main focus will be on capacity building and the implementation of innovative energy solutions: in cooperation with the Lithuanian Innovation Centre (LIC), the municipality will involve partners from the Baltic Sea region and seek to attract new energy solution developers. During the pilot project, a specialized technological solution will be implemented in Biržai, according to which 30 to 40 specific action plans (roadmaps ) will be prepared , and 20-30 local institutions will receive direct support in implementing circular energy independence measures.

To ensure the continuity of the project results, Biržai District Municipality will take the lead in monitoring the implementation of the action plans and their practical implementation. The aim is that the developed “Roadmap – tool ” will become an official part of the municipality’s political and administrative management, consolidated by a long-term agreement. This will guarantee not only short-term innovation, but also the municipality’s strategic transition to a sustainable, data-based energy policy.

Participation in the #Energy Circle project is a strategically important step for Biržai District Municipality, strengthening the resilience of local communities to fluctuations in international energy markets and contributing to long-term energy security.

The circular approach avoids inefficient, fragmented solutions and the additional costs associated with them, while long-term, marathon-based planning forms the basis for a sustainable, financially responsible and independent energy future.

The example of Biržai district municipality shows how local government can become an active, long-term value-creating driving force of energy transformation.

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