BSR Policy Briefing 1/2022

Energy dimension of green growth in Kaliningrad
By Artur Usanov

Kaliningrad’s CO2 emissions from energy consumption grew approximately by 34% between 2000 and 2020. This is significantly more than either in Russia overall or in neighboring Baltic countries. One reason for the significant increase in emissions was rapid economic growth in the province, in particular before 2009. Although energy intensity of the economy declined during this period but the scale of the reduction was insufficient to offset growth in energy consumption and carbon emissions. Therefore, green growth aspirations of decoupling economic growth and environmental impacts of energy consumptions remain unmet in Kaliningrad.

Recent massive build-up of power generating capacity in the province, which was driven exclusively by energy security goals, makes any serious decarbonization of the power sector in Kaliningrad highly improbable in the next decade. This leaves energy efficiency as the key area for constraining energy consumption and associated emissions. District heating and transport are also the sectors where regional authorities can make progress towards decarbonization by using more biomass, for example. Kaliningrad is also an attractive place for testing various emissions trading mechanisms that can be later introduced across whole Russia.

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