Baltic Nations Successfully Synchronize Electricity Systems With EU Grid

Power grid towers at Bair Island State Marine Park in Redwood City, California, United States

On Sunday, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania announced the successful synchronization of their electricity systems with the European continental power grid. This milestone comes after the three Baltic nations severed their energy ties with Russia and Belarus, marking a significant step towards enhancing energy security and closer integration with the European Union.

The switch, which had been planned for years, involved disconnecting from the IPS/UPS network established by the Soviet Union in the 1950s and now operated by Russia. The Baltic nations celebrated the achievement by cutting cross-border high-voltage transmission lines in eastern Latvia, near the Russian border, and distributing pieces of wire as keepsakes to onlookers.

The move was lauded by Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics, who expressed his excitement on social media. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas also praised the synchronization as a victory for freedom and European unity.

The Baltic Sea region has been on high alert due to recent outages in power cables, telecom links, and gas pipelines connecting the Baltics with Sweden and Finland. These disruptions were attributed to ships dragging anchors along the seabed following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, although Russia has denied involvement.

This milestone enhances energy security and integration with the EU.

The Baltic nations synchronized their electricity systems with the European grid.

They disconnected from the Soviet-era IPS/UPS network operated by Russia.

In response to the damaged power link from Finland to Estonia in December, Poland and the Baltics deployed navy assets, elite police units, and helicopters. Lithuania's military also conducted drills to safeguard the overland connection to Poland.

Analysts warn that further damage to energy links could lead to a surge in power prices in the Baltics, reminiscent of the price spikes seen during the Ukraine invasion. The synchronization with the European grid marked the final disconnection from Russia for the Baltic countries, which regained independence in the early 1990s and joined the EU and NATO in 2004.

Despite previously relying on the Russian grid for frequency control and network stability, the three Baltic nations ceased power purchases from Russia following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.