He told the media after the meeting that construction might be delayed by 2-3 years even though it was planned to be completed by 2028. According to him, the deadline for the project is 2032 and he hopes the construction to be completed by then if new hurdles are not encountered.
Paukštys said that new buildings are not being designed at the site at the moment because first of all the required electricity capacity should be provided and land purpose should be converted for industrial use.
Meanwhile Rokas Masiulis, director of Litgrid, Lithuania’s electricity transmission system operator, told reporters that Litgrid would take over the installation of power lines from Teltonika. He said this is a priority as the company is a big client and a major electricity consumer. He pointed out that previously, in order to speed up the construction, Teltonika had decided to lay power lines itself.
Minister of Energy Dainius Kreivys said the Ministry of Energy had not been informed about any problems and there were no indications they existed.
The Social Democratic Party’s (LSDP) political group in parliament intends to summon heads of Litgrid and Via Lietuva, road administration company, demanding to explain why the project has stalled and how damage was done to the image of Lithuania’s investment environment.
President’s chief adviser Frederikas Jansonas has stated that law enforcement should probe Paukštys’ claims that relations with authorities deteriorated during May’s presidential elections, when Paukštys donated EUR 18,000 to President Gitanas Nausėda’s re-election bid.
The Prosecutor General’s Office on Monday instructed the Special Investigation Service (STT) to examine whether officials might have carried out their duties negligently as regards Teltonika High-Tech Hill project. If so, a pre-trial investigation might be launched.