Baltic nations agree to disconnect from Russian power grid

The operators of the electricity systems of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia signed an agreement on Aug. 2 to disconnect from the Russian power system and synchronously connect to the European grid, the Lithuanian Energy Ministry announced.

The disconnection and synchronous connection is set to take place in February 2025.

The nations had previously agreed to join the European continental power system by the end of 2025, but decided to move the deadline up by nearly a year in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"Since the beginning of the Russian full-scale war against Ukraine, the risks associated with the energy security of the Baltic States have significantly changed," the Lithuanian Energy Ministry said.

The heads of Litgrid, AST, and Elering, the Baltic states' electricity operators, signed an agreement committing to the new deadline and agreeing to complete necessary work by the agreed date. This includes installing synchronous condensers and reconstructing a power line between Estonia and Latvia.

The agreement also states that the three nations will withdraw from the Russian-controlled BRELL (Belarusian, Russian, Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian) system by the summer of 2024, six months before synchronization.

The prime ministers of the three Baltic states are expected to ratify the agreement in the coming days.

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