Accessibility links

Breaking News

Baltic States Cut Ties With Russia's Power Grid Ahead Of EU Switch


Latvian Energy Minister Kaspars Melnis (left) and Rolands Irklis, the CEO of Latvian electricity operator AST, pose with a severed cable after technicians worked on the disconnection of a major power line between Latvia and Russia on February 8.
Latvian Energy Minister Kaspars Melnis (left) and Rolands Irklis, the CEO of Latvian electricity operator AST, pose with a severed cable after technicians worked on the disconnection of a major power line between Latvia and Russia on February 8.

The three Baltic states disconnected their electricity systems from Russia's power grid on February 8, the region's operators said.

In doing so, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have severed their link to a Soviet-era electricity transmission grid that connects Russia, Belarus, and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

The three EU members are due to join the synchronous grid of Continental Europe -- which includes most European countries, from Portugal in the west to Ukraine and Turkey in the east -- as part of a plan to integrate the countries more closely with the European Union and boost security.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will speak at a ceremony on February 9 to mark the switch to the EU system, her office said on February 7.

"We've reached the goal we for strived for, for so long. We are now in control," Lithuanian Energy Minister Zygimantas Vaiciunas told a news conference.

Immediately after disconnecting, Latvian workers used a crane to reach the high-voltage wires in Vilaka, 100 meters from the Russian border, and cut them. They handed out chopped wire as keepsakes to cheering observers.

"We will never use it again. We are moving on," Latvian Energy Minister Kaspars Melnis said.

Plans for the Baltics to decouple from the IPS/UPS transmission grid had been debated for decades, but gained momentum following Moscow's illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014.

The grid was the final remaining link to Russia for the three countries, which reemerged as independent nations in the early 1990s after the fall of the Soviet Union and joined the European Union and NATO in 2004.

Some 1.6 billion euros ($1.65 billion) have been invested in the project to synchronize the power systems of the Baltic countries and Poland.

With reporting by Reuters and RFE/RL's Russian Service
  • 16x9 Image

    RFE/RL

    RFE/RL journalists report the news in 27 languages in 23 countries where a free press is banned by the government or not fully established. We provide what many people cannot get locally: uncensored news, responsible discussion, and open debate.

RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.

If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.

To find out more, click here.

XS
SM
MD
LG