The electricity systems of the Baltic States have been successfully disconnected from the Russia-controlled IPS/UPS system and are now operating independently in island mode. Elering, Augstsprieguma tīkls (AST), and Litgrid, the electricity transmission system operators of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are now conducting an isolated operation test before synchronising to the Continental European grid.
The power systems of the Baltic States successfully disconnected from IPS/UPS system on Saturday at 09.09 AM. The separation of the Baltic electricity systems from IPS/UPS had no impact on consumers, the systems are stable and secure.
The isolated operation test is a crucial step in the preparation for synchronisation of the Baltic electricity systems with the Continental European Synchronous Area (CESA). During this period, electricity demand is met through local power plants and interconnectors with Poland, Sweden, and Finland.
Once synchronised, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania will join the world’s largest synchronous grid, serving over 400 million consumers across 26 countries. Until now, the Baltic States were part of the Russia-controlled IPS/UPS synchronous area.
Although with difficulty, Europe is reducing its dependence on Russian energy every day. Today, the Baltic countries have permanently disconnected from Russia’s electricity grid and connected to the European system, commented the Energy Minister in Romania Sebastian Burduja.
“The gesture of these countries, which understand much better than others what it means to live for decades in a world devoid of freedom, should be an example that Europe can and must forge its own path to energy independence. And the first step is to give up Russia’s “poisoned” energy, which has always been a weapon of blackmail and a means, often effective, of keeping Europe under control.
“There is no more time. Europe is faced with the urgency of continuing on the same path across the entire energy sector. The total elimination of dependence on Russian gas must be the next major objective. This means expanding and modernizing our own production capacities,” Burduja says in a Facebook post.
At the same time, the minister states that Romania has a key role, from exploiting gas from the Black Sea and Caragele to supporting regional projects such as the Vertical Corridor, actively contributing to European energy security.
EC chief welcomes end of Russia’s “threats and blackmail”
The connection of the Baltic States to the European electricity grid, after their decoupling from the Russian grid, frees the European Union from “threats and blackmail”, welcomed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Vilnius on Sunday.
“Today we are connecting the Baltic States to the electricity grid of continental Europe. We are cutting the last links with Russia. We are finally free from threats and blackmail. It is a historic day!”, she said on the X platform.
“A few moments ago we received important news. The synchronization of the electricity system of the Baltic States with that of continental Europe has been successfully completed”, declared Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda.
He spoke alongside his Estonian and Latvian counterparts, as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Poland’s president at a news conference in the Lithuanian capital.
The former Soviet republics of Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia – now members of the European Union and NATO – have been pushing for this change since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Strong supporters of Ukraine, they have sought to avoid becoming the object of Russian blackmail over their electricity supplies.
“This is a historic moment that marks the end of a long journey. We have achieved full energy independence. The period of political pressure and blackmail is finally over,” Nauseda added.
The Baltic states have been integrated into the European grid through Poland. In total, 1.6 billion euros, mainly from European funds, have been invested in the project.