How natural gas becomes food on the table

From the grain fields of Lithuania to gas reservoirs beneath the Barents Sea, there is a clear connection. Crops depend on fertiliser, fertiliser production depends on natural gas, and at a coastal terminal in Lithuania, natural gas is imported, including from Norway.

On a farm in Lithuania’s fertile Kėdainiai region, the fields stretching across several square kilometres lie quiet this afternoon. Rain is in the air, and only the restless calls of birds break the silence. A long-legged stork fusses with its nest, perched atop a wooden pole. The agricultural machinery, busy in recent days ahead of the life-giving rain, now stands still in the spacious farmyard.

This is a farm that has grown steadily over time, from just a few hectares into a modern family business spanning thousands of hectares and employing around 40 people. Today, it is among the largest farms in Lithuania. Farmer Šarūnas Šiušė is proud of what he has built, but he is quick to point out the hard work behind it.

“Farming is never the same from year to year. It’s about adapting to nature and making the most of what you have. We need to balance profitability, environmental considerations and costs.”

Šarūnas Šiušė,
farmer on one of the largest farms in Lithuania.

Driven by family and technology

Šarūnas runs the farm together with his three sons, who have divided responsibilities between them. One focuses on agronomy, another on technology, and the third on market and communication. Their roles reflect the broader development of Lithuanian agriculture, from traditional practices to a more data-driven, technology-based industry.

The farm produces wheat, barley, maize, sugar beet and rapeseed. Sensors and digital tools are used to monitor soil quality and crop growth. Fertiliser is applied precisely where needed, and in the right amounts. The aim is to balance yield with care for the environment.

“Everything is measured and assessed. We try to use fertiliser as efficiently as possible,” he explains.

At the same time, challenges are evident. Fertiliser prices have increased sharply, and margins have tightened. For some farmers, costs have become so high that fields are left uncultivated.

Even so, the ambition remains clear: to produce enough food while protecting the land.

Fertiliser essential for food production

About an hour’s drive southeast of the farm, in the industrial town of Jonava, lies Achema, the largest fertiliser plant in the Baltic region. Here, natural gas is used to produce nitrogen-based fertilisers such as ammonia, urea and ammonium nitrate.

Natural gas is the foundation of this production. It is used to produce hydrogen, which in turn is used to make ammonia. Ammonia is the key building block of mineral fertiliser.

“Having this fertiliser plant in Lithuania is important not only for Lithuania, but for Europe as a whole. It makes us more self-reliant. We do not have to import fertiliser to ensure farmers have what they need to grow crops, says Ramūnas Miliauskas,” director at Achema.

Without fertiliser, he explains, yields would be significantly lower, food prices much higher, and access to food more uncertain.

“Quite simply, without fertiliser there would be far less food in the world”

Ramūnas Miliauskas,
director at Achema.

Achema supplies mainly European farmers, including those in Lithuania like Šarūnas. Around 80-85% of its fertiliser is exported, while the rest is used in the Baltic region.

The link between energy and food is clear. Without stable access to natural gas, production stops. Natural gas accounts for around 80% of both the raw materials and the production costs. At the same time, local fertiliser production is an important part of overall resilience. It ensures stable supply to farmers and reduces reliance on imported fertiliser, a critical input for food production.

“I am very proud of this plant. We play an important role in ensuring food supply, we contribute to the Lithuanian economy and we create jobs. But Achema is also fully dependent on stable and predictable natural gas deliveries to keep our production running,” says Ramūnas.

Reducing vulnerability in energy and food supply

Until 2022, Lithuania still imported part of its natural gas from Russia via pipelines. However, since the launch of the Klaipėda LNG terminal with FSRU (floating storage and regasification unit) Independence in 2014, the country had access to alternative LNG supplies, which strengthened its bargaining position and reduced dependence on Russian pipeline gas.

By 2021, Russian gas still formed part of Lithuania’s gas supply, but the country was no longer reliant on Russia as its only practical import route.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Lithuania completely halted imports of Russian gas. Since then, the country’s demand has been covered through alternative sources, primarily via the LNG terminal in Klaipėda, which receives shipments from multiple suppliers.

This shift builds on long-term investments in infrastructure and cooperation with neighbouring countries. The result is a far more robust and flexible energy system, with reduced geopolitical vulnerability. Equinor delivered the first cargo to the terminal in 2014 and has since been a major gas supplier to Lithuania.

At the port of Klaipėda, the LNG carrier Arctic Aurora delivers natural gas from northern Norway to Lithuania’s energy system.

Where the energy enters

On Lithuania’s Baltic coast, in the port city of Klaipėda, the LNG terminal acts as a hub between sea and land. Ships arrive carrying liquefied natural gas, cooled to minus 162 degrees Celsius, before it is regasified and fed into the energy system.

On this day, the LNG carrier Arctic Aurora is moored at the terminal, unloading gas from Melkøya in northern Norway. From the vessel’s tanks, the gas is transferred to the receiving facility Independence, a name that reflects what this infrastructure has enabled for Lithuania in recent years.

Deliveries like this take place regularly, with unloading typically taking around a day. The gas is then transported onward through pipelines linking Lithuania to the rest of Europe.

“We usually receive three to four deliveries per month, with gas coming from both Norway and the United States, depending on market conditions,” says Nerijus Strazdauskas, Head of Klaipėda LNG terminal logistics.

Equinor is the largest supplier, delivering significantly higher volumes than other players.

The terminal plays a key role in the region. Lithuania and the Baltic states were previously fully dependent on Russian gas, but the Klaipėda terminal has opened access to global energy markets.

“The LNG terminal gives us the flexibility to source gas from anywhere in the world. We rely on natural gas for households, industry, and power and heat generation, says Jurgita Šilinskaitė-Venslovienė,” Chief Corporate Affairs officer at KN Energies, which operates the terminal.

She notes that the terminal is fully booked until 2032 and that demand for natural gas remains strong. Equinor has also signed long-term agreements for future deliveries.

Jurgita Šilinskaitė-Venslovienė
Chief Corporate Affairs officer at KN Energies

Unloading at the LNG terminal in Klaipėda.
Access to global gas markets strengthens energy security.
At Achema, natural gas is used for fertiliser production.
Fertiliser provides crops with essential nutritions.
The fertiliser produced at Achema is delivered to farms.
Šarūnas Šiušė has built one of Lithuania’s largest farms.

A connected chain

From the port in Klaipėda, natural gas is transported safely and reliably inland, to the fertiliser plant in Jonava, and ultimately to the fields in Kėdainiai, where farmers rely on it to grow crops.

This chain connects energy supply with food security, not only in Lithuania but across the wider region.

For the farmer, it means he can continue to sow, cultivate and harvest. For people across the region, it means something very tangible, that bread remains on the shelves. Every day.

Films and photos on this page: Ole Jørgen Bratland
Photo of Ramūnas Miliauskas: Achema

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