The three Baltic nations announced on Tuesday their notification to Russia and its ally Belarus of their decision to detach from the Soviet-era power grid in February 2025.
“We Will Cut the Last Energy Links with Russia”
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, once under Soviet rule for decades and now members of the EU and NATO, have taken a significant step towards energy independence from Moscow.
These countries have maintained strained relations with Moscow since regaining independence in the early 1990s, with ties further deteriorating after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“We will cut the last energy links with Russia,” declared Rokas Masiulis, CEO of Litgrid, the Lithuanian state-owned electricity grid operator. “In six months, we will not only disconnect from the Russian and Belarusian power grid, but we will also dismantle the remaining power lines,” he added.
Representatives of the Latvian operator AST and the Estonian operator Elering also announced this decision.
February 7, 2025
Elering stated in a press release that “the power systems of the three Baltic states are already prepared for emergency synchronization at any time, if necessary.” AST clarified that the three Baltic operators “have notified the Russian and Belarusian operators of the non-renewal of the BRELL agreement” in question.
The Baltic states will disconnect from the Russian grid on February 7, joining the European network two days later. Although they declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, their power grids remained connected to Russia and Belarus.
Their frequency is therefore regulated from Moscow, meaning they still rely on Russia to ensure a stable electricity flow.
European Integration
The three countries decided in 2018 to synchronize their power grids with the continental European system after receiving financial support from the European Union. They will access the EU power grid via Poland.
The Baltic states stopped buying Russian gas and electricity after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. However, even though they no longer purchase Russian electricity, they had to remain connected to the old network for technical and safety reasons.