The Baltic countries notify Russia and Belarus that they will exit the Moscow-controlled power grid

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — The power grid operators of the three Baltic countries officially notified Russia and Belarus on Tuesday that they will abandon a 2001 agreement that kept Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania connected to a power transmission system. electricity controlled by Moscow.

The Baltic countries have already stopped buying electricity from Russia. And in a plan announced last year as part of measures to cut ties with Moscow following the invasion of Ukraine, the countries will switch their grid connections next February to continental Europe’s main energy grid in a move to end dependency.

Utility operators Elering of Estonia, AST of Latvia and Litgrid of Lithuania said the exit notice was signed in Latvia’s capital Riga on Tuesday. The joint agreement with Moscow and Minsk will end on February 7 and the Baltic systems will be disconnected from the grid the following day.

“We will disconnect and dismantle the last physical connections to the Russian and Belarusian grids,” said Litgrid CEO Rokas Masiulis, calling the move an “ambitious energy independence project.”

The three former Soviet republics do not currently purchase electricity from Russia, but remain physically connected to a grid whose electrical frequency is controlled by Moscow under the 2001 BRELL agreement. The Baltic systems plan to synchronize with the continental European system on 9 February 2025. Both systems use 50 Hz alternating current.

“Synchronization with the Continental European Synchronous Area will enable independent, stable and reliable frequency control of the Baltic States’ power grids and increase energy security in the region,” said Estonian grid operator Elering.

Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland agreed with the European Union’s executive commission in 2019 to coordinate connecting the Baltic nations to the EU’s energy grid by the end of 2025. However, Russia’s war in Ukraine has led Baltic countries to accelerate the project.

The February 2025 transition date was a compromise. Lithuania wanted an energy exit this year, alleging Moscow’s lack of reliability and its aggression in Ukraine. Estonia has resisted a faster cut, saying it could suffer blackouts if the transition happens too soon.

“The Baltic electricity market has adapted and functions without importing electricity from Russia,” said President Rolands Irklis of AST Latvia.

“Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Latvia has completely stopped importing and exporting electricity from Russia and Belarus, and synchronization with continental Europe is the last step towards achieving the country’s independence in the field of electricity supply,” said Irklis.

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Jari Tanner reported from Helsinki.