Baltic Power Grids to Synchronise with European System by 2025

The Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have agreed a roadmap to link their power systems with those of other European Union members by 2025 as they look to reduce their dependence on Russia.

Their power grids are presently synchronized with Russia and Belarus, a legacy from Soviet times. All three countries have been members of the European Union since 2004.

Russia has never cut power flows to the Baltic states or threatened to do so, but the Baltic governments see any energy dependence on Russia as a risk factor.

Lithuania, the biggest of the three Baltic states, lists its power system's synchronisation with Russia as one of the top national security threats.

The Baltic states' concerns about energy dependence on Russia have increased since the crisis in Ukraine and Russia's military activity in the Baltic region.

"Baltic synchronous operation with the network of continental Europe will eliminate dependence on the third countries' power systems uncoordinated behaviour and development, as well as their market actions operated by legislation which significantly differs from the EU rules," Estonia's grid operator Elering said in a statement.

The Baltic states' governments need to immediately reach a common political agreement on synchronisation, agree with Poland on new power links and seek financial assistance from the European Commission, they added in a joint statement.

Grid operators have already conducted a feasibility study, which identified necessary investments for synchronisation, including building two power interconnections between Lithuania and Poland, a third link between Estonia and Latvia, and converters on borders with Russia and Belarus.

Lithuania and Poland have already agreed to build the first 500 megawatt (MW) interconnection, LitPol Link, by end-2015, but there are no firm plans for building the second link.

The Baltic synchronisation plan would also require Russia and Belarus to build new power lines to re-direct power flows now going through the Baltic states.

The big question remains whether Russia's Kaliningrad exclave, sandwiched between Lithuania and Poland, will also be synchronized with the European grid or remain an autonomous system.

Reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis