Baltic nations make historic shift from Russian power grid
This weekend, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia will take a historic step by disconnecting from the Russian, and even post-Soviet, power system controlled by Moscow to connect to the Western European network. Preparations for this process have taken 15 years.
- We are ready for all scenarios. Our societies can be calm, everything is under control, assured Lithuanian Minister Žygimantas Vaičiūnas at the end of January, following a meeting attended by the Polish Deputy Minister of Climate and Environment, Krzysztof Bolesta.
Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are facing a historic moment as they prepare to disconnect from the Moscow-controlled power system on Saturday, February 8. The synchronization of the Baltic countries' systems with Western European networks will occur the following day.
The Lithuanian Ministry of Energy recently emphasized that Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia have sufficient power and external connections, such as EstLink-1 (with Finland), NordBalt (with Sweden), and LitPol Link (with Poland), to connect their systems with Europe.
"Solar and wind projects connected to the Baltic system in recent years have increased generation capacity," according to a document cited by the Baltic News Service (BNS).
Electricity prices in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia
Žygimantas Vaičiūnas, the Lithuanian Minister of Energy, assured that the disconnection from the BRELL system, in which Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia have remained since Soviet times along with Russia and Belarus, will not affect electricity prices, according to "Rzeczpospolita".
- For over a year, we have not been purchasing electricity from either Russia or Belarus. This means that synchronization with European networks will not negatively impact the electricity market. The impact of synchronization on electricity prices is minimal or practically zero, he noted.
