Three Baltic countries disconnect from Russia, connect to EU grid

The three Baltic countries of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia disconnected from the Russian power grid on February 8 in a pre-planned move to prepare for integration into the European Union (EU) power grid.

Reuters reported that the three Baltic countries of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have disconnected from the IPS/UPS power grid with Russia and will connect to the EU grid on February 9 after some final tests.

"We have achieved the goal we have been striving for for a long time. Now we are in control," Lithuanian Energy Minister Zygimantas Vaiciunas told a news conference.

High-voltage power transmission system in Grobina (Latvia) near the Lithuanian border. The Baltic states were disconnected from the Russian grid on February 8.

The plan to withdraw from the Russian grid has been discussed by the three former Soviet states for decades and was revived after Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.

After breaking away from the Soviet Union and becoming independent states in the early 1990s, the Baltic states joined the EU and NATO in 2004. All three countries stopped buying Russian electricity after Moscow launched a military campaign in Ukraine in February 2022, but still rely on the Russian grid to control frequencies and stabilize the network to avoid power outages.

According to Reuters, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will speak at a ceremony on February 9 to mark the three Baltic states joining the EU grid. Latvian Energy Minister Kaspars Melnis said the system was stable, the process was going smoothly and no one noticed any changes.

The three countries have spent nearly 1.6 billion euros since 2018 upgrading their grids in preparation for the move, while Russia has spent 100 billion rubles ($1 billion) building gas-fired power plants in Kaliningrad, a territory sandwiched between Lithuania, Poland and the Baltic Sea and not connected to the rest of Russia. The Baltics’ disconnection from the Russian grid means Kaliningrad will have to become self-sufficient.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ba-nuoc-baltic-ngat-ket-noi-dien-voi-nga-hoa-luoi-dien-eu-185250208165526656.htm