Baltic states withdraw from Russian power grid
A long-prepared and technically complicated step is due to take place as quietly as possible this weekend: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania plan to sever their last remaining connection with the post-Soviet electricity system, known as the Brell ring, on Saturday. Once certain test runs have been completed they will then synchronise their electricity grids with the rest of Europe, probably on Sunday. Commentators take a closer look.
Eliminating Moscow as a risk factor
Gazeta Wyborcza explains why the step is necessary:
“For the time being, the Baltic states' electricity grids are part of a system created during the Soviet era, now managed from Russia. This entails geopolitical and energy policy risks for the Baltic states. ... Variations in the current frequency usually result in flickering light bulbs. But there are more serious problems, such as the slowing down or overheating of electrical devices. The Baltic states are also vulnerable to the effects of potential defects in the Russian grid. And long before the attack on Ukraine, Moscow was in no hurry to rectify failures in the power connections with the Baltic states.”
Kaliningrad now an energy island
LA.LV supports the move:
“Yes, there are concerns that the change in synchronisation could lead to power cuts and higher costs for transmission services. But what have we not been threatened with since our decision to leave the Soviet Union and join the Western community! ... Even more painful for Russia is the fact that it is because of the Russian war against Ukraine and the threat to other neighbouring states that the Baltic states have decided to cut themselves off completely from the Kaliningrad region's electricity system. ... As a result, that region is now in a state of energy isolation. Like an island that has to cope with variations in frequency, electricity shortages and surpluses all on its own.”
Throwing off the last shackles
Energy expert Valdemar Fiodorovič is reassuring in IQ:
“This is a historic moment for Lithuania and the other Baltic states: the decoupling from the post-Soviet Brell energy ring. ... Rumours are circulating - also fuelled by hostile forces - that the move could lead to massive power cuts or a drastic rise in prices. But for most consumers little will change. ... For years, the Brell grid was a kind of umbilical cord that Russia used for energy blackmailing - similar to what it did with oil and gas supplies. While dependence on the latter resources has already been overcome, the electricity link remained one of the last shackles preventing Lithuania from taking full control of its own energy system.”
A major, but hopefully inconspicuous step
Kalle Kilk, CEO of the state-owned power company Elering, explains in Maaleht:
“If everything goes according to plan no one will notice, but in terms of importance this step is comparable to the introduction of the crown [which replaced the rouble in 1992 and was then replaced by the euro in 2011] or EU accession. With this long-prepared step we are reducing geopolitical risks and making ourselves completely independent of Russia, which still has a certain influence over our electricity grid and market. ... For decades now we've been preparing to leave the Russian power grid, more intensely since 2018-2019. We have made significant investments to strengthen our electricity grid, including hundreds of millions of euros in EU funding.”