Baltic nations break from Moscow power grip, join Europe network
This weekend, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia will take a historic step by disconnecting from the Russian and post-Soviet power systems controlled by Moscow and connecting 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 after a meeting attended by the Polish Deputy Minister of Climate and Environment, Krzysztof Bolesta.
Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are facing a historic moment of disconnecting from the power system controlled by Moscow, scheduled for Saturday (February 8 ET). 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."
A document cited by the Baltic News Service (BNS) stated, "Solar and wind projects connected to the Baltic system in recent years have increased generation capacity,"
Electricity prices in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia
Žygimantas Vaičiūnas, the Lithuanian Minister of Energy, assured that the disconnection from the BRELL system—where Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia remained since Soviet times along with Russia and Belarus—will not affect electricity prices.
The country has not imported electricity from Russia or Belarus for over a year. As a result, integrating with European power networks will not disrupt the electricity market. The effect of this synchronization on electricity prices is negligible or nearly nonexistent.
The role of Poland in the synchronization process
Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia will be disconnected from the post-Soviet IPS/UPS system and synchronized with the Continental Europe Synchronous Area (CESA) at midnight ET on February 7 and 8, 2025.
At this point, seven existing power connections in the IPS/UPS area will be physically disconnected. Simultaneously, the currently direct LitPol Link connection between Ełk and Lithuanian Alytus will begin to operate as a synchronous line. It is a double-circuit line with a voltage of 400 kV, the only such CESA connection with the Baltic countries.
Apart from the LitPol Link, the Baltic countries have three more undersea connections: NordBalt connecting Klaipeda in Lithuania with Swedish Nybro with a capacity of 940 MW, and two Estonia-Finland cables: EstLink-1 with a capacity of 480 MW and EstLink-2 with a capacity of 884 MW.
