The Baltic states began liaison with Russia’s power grid on Saturday to integrate with the European system, a process that has been a years-long process that has become urgent with Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – now all former Soviet republics of the EU and NATO – have left Russia’s grid to prevent Moscow from weapons against its weapons.
“We are now eliminating Russia’s ability to use the power system as a geopolitical ransomware tool,” Lithuania’s Energy Minister Zygimantas Vaiciunas told AFP.
Kaja Kallas, former Estonian Prime Minister, praised X’s move as a “victory for freedom and European unification”.
Lithuania is the first of three Baltic countries to remove Moscow-controlled power networks, Litgrid, a state-run grid operator, said Saturday.
Litgrid spokesman Matas Noreika told AFP: “I can confirm that the electric switch lines between Lithuania and Kaliningrad and Belarus were disconnected at 07:43 local time (0543 GMT).
He added that Estonia and Latvia will follow suit in GMT 0700.
While some consumers are concerned about supply disruptions, including potential cyberattacks, the official celebrations are held in the Hai State of Barrow.
Latvia will conduct physical power lines on Russia on Saturday, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attending the ceremony with Baltic leaders on Sunday.
“We’re ready,” Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas said on X.
The Baltic has long been ready to integrate with the European power grid, but faces technical and financial problems.
This shift became even more urgent after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which made the Baltic states think it could be targeted.
After the invasion, they stopped buying Russian natural gas and electricity, but their power grid was still related to Russia and Belarus and was controlled by Moscow.
This makes them rely on Moscow to obtain stable current, which is crucial for factories and facilities that require reliable power supplies.
– “Possible Provocation” –
After the Baltic state is disconnected from the Russian grid, they will run in so-called “isolated mode” for about 24 hours to test their frequency or power levels.
“We need to do some testing to ensure that Europe is a stable energy system,” said Litgrid chief Rokas Masiulis.
“We will turn the power station on and off, observe how the frequency fluctuates and evaluate our ability to control it.”
The states will then integrate into the European power grid through Poland.
Authorities warned of potential risks associated with the change.
“There can be various short-term risks, such as dynamic operations against critical infrastructure, cyberattacks and disinformation movements,” the Lithuanian National Security Agency told AFP.
PSE, a Polish power grid operator, said it will use helicopters and drones to patrol the links with Lithuania.
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics told LTV1 that the countries were “prepared for the conversion to the greatest extent” but said they could not “rule out possible provocations.”
In Estonia, police and volunteers’ defense forces will continue until next weekend due to risk of damage.
In recent months, the Baltic Sea has cut off several submarine telecommunications and power cables. Some experts and politicians accused Russia of launching a hybrid war, and Moscow denied one charge.
– “People don’t feel it” –
A total of 1.6 billion euros ($1.7 billion) (mainly EU funds) have been invested in synchronous projects in the Baltic and Poland.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda was convinced that the transition would go smoothly and told reporters: “People don’t feel this in terms of bills or any inconvenience.”
Estonia’s Ministry of Climate urges everyone to continue as usual “the more regular and predictable behavior…the easier it is to manage the power grid”.
However, some consumers are concerned about Estonia’s cuts and home improvement stores have pointed to a sharp increase in sales of generators.
After the decoupling of the Baltic Sea, the energy system of the Russian enclave will lose grid connection with the Russian mainland.
Kaliningrad has been building power generation capacity for years, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed all the questions.
Asked about the deadline for last week, he said: “We have taken all measures to ensure the uninterrupted and reliable operation of a unified energy system.”
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