Three Baltic nations have disconnected their electricity systems from Russia’s power grid as part of a plan designed to further integrate with the European Union and boost security.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania disconnected from the network in a move to block Russia’s ability to geopolitically “blackmail” them via the electricity system.
If all goes as planned, the power system will merge with the European energy networks on Sunday afternoon local time through several links with Finland, Sweden and Poland.
All three countries are former Soviet republics that are now in the European Union and NATO.
“We have removed any theoretical possibility of Russia using energy [grid] control as a weapon,” Lithuanian Energy Minister Zygimantas Vaiciunas said.
The Baltic countries spent nearly 1.6 billion euros ($2.6 billion) since 2018 to upgrade grids to prepare for the switch.
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The EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said this is a “victory for freedom”.
“Russia can no longer use energy as a tool of blackmail,” she added.
‘No European country should be dependent on Russia’
The European Commissioner for Energy, Dan Jorgensen, said: “This is indeed a historic day.”
“I like the light better when there’s no Russian electrons involved,” he told reporters in Estonian capital Tallinn.
“It’s important to underline that this is about security … no European country should be dependent on Russia for anything,” he added.
The operators from all three nations successfully undertook frequency management trials before disconnecting.
“The system is stable, the process is happening smoothly, no one is noticing that something changed,” Latvia’s Energy Minister Kaspars Melnis said.
Lithuanian Energy Minister Zygimantas Vaiciunas said there are contingency plans whereby some heavy energy users, such as factories, could be temporarily disconnected from the grid in the event of power shortages.
“We’ve reached the goal we strived for, for so long,” Mr Vaiciunas told a press conference.
“We are now in control.”
Latvian Energy Minister Kaspars Melnis was on the ground for the power grid disconnection. (Reuters: Ints Kalnins)
In Latvia, immediately after disconnecting, workers used a crane to reach the high-voltage wires in Vilaka, 100 metres from the Russian border, and cut them.
Staff handed out chopped wire as keepsakes to cheering observers.
“We will never use it again. We are moving on,” Latvia’s Energy Minister Kaspars Melnis told Reuters in Vilaka.
Russia cooperates with cut off
Authorities were on guard on Saturday for any potential sabotage or other risks linked to the grid switch from Russia.
The decision to swith to the European power grid has been long in the making. (AP: Mindaugas Kulbis)
Latvian grid operator AST said no disruptions had been recorded so far, showing no provocation.
“They disconnected power to the same line also from their side, with the biggest surprise today being that there are no surprises,” AST CEO Rolands Irklis said.
Lithuania’s state-run grid operator Litgrid also said Russia fully cooperated during the disconnection process.
Litgrid chief Rokas Masiulis pointed out that “when you are part of the same (electricity) system, you cannot harm the other without harming yourself”.
For Russia, the decoupling means its Kaliningrad exclave, located between Lithuania, Poland and the Baltic Sea, is cut off from Russia’s main grid, leaving it to maintain its power system alone.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed all concerns.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov lends an ear to Vladimir Putin. (Reuters: Turar Kazangapov)
Asked about the cut-off last week, he said: “We have taken all measures to ensure the uninterrupted reliable operation of our unified energy system.”
Power grid was the last link to Soviet overlord
Plans for the Baltics to decouple from the grid of their former Soviet imperial overlord has been debated for decades and was finally signed in 2018.
The grid was the final remaining link to Russia for the three countries, which re-emerged as independent nations in the early 1990s at the fall of the Soviet Union.
All three joined the European Union and NATO in 2004.
The deal to disconnect from Russia’s power grid was signed by Baltic leaders in 2018. (Reuters: Julien Warnand/Pool)
The three staunch supporters of Kyiv stopped purchases of power from Russia following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but have relied on the Russian grid to control frequencies and stabilise networks to avoid outages.
“By ending the energy dependence of the Baltic states on Russia, we are leaving the aggressor without the option of using energy as a weapon against us,” Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said.
Despite there being no provocation so far, nations in the area are increasing security on their power grids.
In Estonia, police and volunteer defence corps will man critical electrical infrastructure until next weekend because of the perceived sabotage risk.
Lithuania was also guarding infrastructure, launching its armed forces in a region bordering Poland to secure the energy link.
Security around the power grids has been increased. (Reuters: Kacper Pempel)
An army truck was seen at the Rezekne power substation near the Latvia-Russia border, and officers with guns were patrolling the vicinity.
Region on high alert to shadow warfare
The Baltic Sea region is on high alert after power cable, telecom links and gas pipeline outages.
Baltic Sea region on high alert due to threat of ‘hybrid warfare’
All were believed to have been caused by ships dragging anchors along the seabed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia has denied any involvement.
The NATO alliance fears that Russia is targeting cables as part of a wider campaign of so-called “hybrid warfare” to destabilise European nations helping Ukraine.
Without specifically blaming Russia, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said “hybrid means sabotage”.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has concerns over hybrid warfare in the region. (Reuters: Johanna Geron)
“Hybrid means cyber-attacks. Hybrid means sometimes even assassination attacks, attempts, and in this case, it means hitting on our critical undersea infrastructure,” he added.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen have said that the slate of incidents in the Baltic Sea must be assumed to be part of a hybrid strategy from Russia that is threatening European countries.