Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said he is convinced that the connection of the Baltic States’ power grid to Western Europe this coming weekend will proceed without a hitch.
“I would like to assure everyone that everything has been thought through and all scenarios prepared, and I have no doubt that the synchronization process will run smoothly,” said Nausėda during a visit to a power plant in the city of Elektrėnai on Thursday.
Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia will leave the shared power grid with Russia and Belarus, to which they have belonged since the Soviet era, on Saturday.
The three EU and NATO states will then integrate their power grids into the European system on Sunday.
During the one-day gap in between, the three countries will function as a sort of “energy island” as they carry out the final steps to make the switch. Preparations have been under way for years and supported by the European Union.
“We will no longer be dependent on the aggressor state and will have full control over our own energy system,” Nausėda said, referring to Russia, which has been waging a war against Ukraine for almost three years.
By disconnecting from the Soviet-era grid, the three Baltic States aim to enhance energy security, having already ceased electricity imports from Russia.