As stated in the EIA report, the connection of the upper and lower reaches of the Nemunas would contribute to the development of navigation, as the Nemunas could connect the Lithuanian waterway network with the European network: in the upper reaches – via the Augustów Canal, in the lower reaches – via the Curonian Lagoon.
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A structure of maximum dimensions – 17 meters wide – would be built, accommodating ships 16 meters wide. During the season, the lock will be opened up to four times a day – a large part of the ships will be recreational, while cargo ships will sail 1–2 times a week.
“Recreational boats also cannot pass the Kaunas HPP dam, so if one wants to continue a continuous route in the Klaipėda–Nemunas upper reaches directions, they must be lifted by cranes or a slipway, transported to the launching site, where they are lowered into the water also using a crane or a slipway. The installation of the lock would open up the possibility for recreational boats to cross the Kaunas HPP,” the report states.
According to it, the river embankments could be revitalized by establishing restaurants or cafes nearby.
The lock is planned to be designed in 2029–2031 and built in 2032–2035.
As BNS wrote, back in 2021, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Inland Waterways Directorate (VVKD), and Kaunas Municipality signed a memorandum on the installation of a lock through the Kaunas HPP dam.
“The lock was ‘drawn’ during the construction of the Kaunas hydroelectric power plant, but, like many projects, it was later put aside. We revived this idea and are now carrying it on our shoulders step by step. We would like everything to happen much faster, but this is a grandiose project that requires coordination from various institutions,” Kaunas Mayor Visvaldas Matijošaitis stated in the announcement.
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The municipality had previously announced that the lock would contribute to the revitalization of river navigation by connecting the entire nearly 500-kilometer stretch of the Nemunas, extending from the border with Belarus to the border with Kaliningrad.
In turn, Aurelijus Rimas, Director of Navigation at VVKD, emphasized that this would be a structure of national importance, and no reconstructions would be possible later, so it is important to consider all details.
Former VVKD General Director Vladimiras Vinokurovas told BNS in 2023 that it is “definitely realistic” to have the lock by 2029-2030. At that time, its value was announced to be 70 million euros.
Currently, goods transported by ships from Klaipėda to the municipalities located in the upper reaches of the Nemunas – Prienai, Alytus, Druskininkai – are reloaded onto trucks at Marvelė pier in Kaunas and transported the remaining distance by land.
It is planned that the volumes of goods transported by ships could increase 3–6 times: currently, about 35 thousand tons of goods are transported by ships between Kaunas and Klaipėda per year, and the goal is 100–200 thousand tons.
