VILNIUS, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- Baltic electricity prices on the Nord Pool exchange were driven up by low renewable energy generation, the malfunction of the EstLink 2 cable between Finland and Estonia, higher consumption, and rising natural gas prices, a leading energy official said on Tuesday.

Renatas Pocius, chairman of Lithuania's National Energy Regulatory Council (NERC), told local radio broadcaster LRT: "At the moment, we have what is known in Europe as 'dunkelflaute,' a unique situation in which neither wind nor solar power is generating electricity. We have an absolute calm today in Lithuania, and the sun isn't shining in our region either. Renewable generation is producing very little electricity."

"We're having problems with connections. One of the links, between Estonia and Finland, is down, and we can't import cheaper electricity from Scandinavia," he added.

Pocius explained that electricity prices are also being driven up by increased consumption due to the cold weather, and by higher natural gas prices.

According to the NERC chairman, prices are forecast to range between 90 euros(92.7 U.S. dollars) and 130 euros per megawatt-hour (MWh) in the near future, with consumers who have pricing plans tied to the exchange to be most affected by these fluctuations.

He emphasized that Sunday's synchronization of the Baltic States' power grids with Western Europe has no impact on electricity prices, or it accounts for an average of just 1 percent. Enditem

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