With 100 days to go before the planned synchronisation of the Baltic power grids with continental Europe, Energy Minister Dainius Kreivys does not expect Russian provocations against Lithuania.
He points out that Moscow is also dependent on Lithuania energetically as it is a transit country for gas and electricity going to the Russian region of Kaliningrad.
“We are inter-dependent [...], so I do not expect any major provocations,” Kreivys told the Žiniu Radijas radio on Thursday.
“There’s a pipe going to Kaliningrad that supplies all their main power plants with this gas. Of course, they have a [LNG] terminal, but one needs to have alternative sources and opportunities to get raw materials all the time,” the minister said.
Officials from Latvia and Estonia also said in Vilnius on Thursday that the countries are prepared for the disconnection and possible Russian provocations.
“We all have plans A, B, C for what we need to look out for, various possibilities. We are ready for any possible outcome,’ Latvian Climate and Energy Minister Kaspars Melnis told reporters.
“Obviously, we have prepared plans A, B, C, D, E, F and as many letters as there are. I cannot tell you about all the measures, but we’ve made sure that we have more visibility of potential hotspots, so we could respond in time if there’s something out of order,” added Jaanus Uiga, deputy secretary general for energy and mineral resources at Estonia’s Climate Ministry.
On Thursday, a symbolic clock in Vilnius began counting down the last 100 days until the Baltic power grids’ exit from the joint electricity system agreement with Russia and Belarus (BRELL) and synchronisation with the Continental European system next February.
“This is a great day and a great result because we will continue to develop our energy sector, strengthen our energy system, and work to be self-sufficient in supplying our energy needs in the future when electricity demand is expected to surge,” Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė said at the clock unveiling event.
According to the Energy Ministry, the clock installed at the Energy Museum in Vilnius will count down the remaining time until the Baltic countries’ energy independence, a goal that Lithuania has achieved through “an extremely long and difficult road”.
The Baltic power grids are scheduled to start operating synchronously with Continental Europe on February 9, 2025.
The day before, on February 8, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia will decouple from the Russian IPS/UPS system and carry out a single joint isolated operation test, after which they will not return to the old system.
Back in July, the Baltic power transmission system operators notified Russia and Belarus of the non-extension of the BRELL contract and their withdrawal from the post-Soviet electricity system in February 2025.
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