Baltic countries cut ties with Russian power grid, prepare to connect to EU!
The three Baltic states on Saturday severed ties with Russia's electricity grid to join the European Union's grid, the culmination of a years-long process that gained urgency with Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—all former Soviet republics that are now in the European Union and NATO—wanted to block Russia's ability to geopolitically blackmail them through the electricity system.
"We have removed any theoretical possibility that Russia could use energy control (grid) as a weapon," Lithuanian Energy Minister Zygimantas Vaiciunas told AFP on Saturday. European Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen said: "This is truly a historic day."
"I like the light better when there are no Russian electrons involved," he told reporters in the Estonian capital Tallinn. "It is important to emphasize that this is about security... No European country should be dependent on Russia for anything," he added.
Vaiciunas said the Baltic states had completed the disconnection process at 9:09 a.m. Latvia later physically severed a power line to Russia. "We now have full control over our power grid," Latvian Energy Minister Kaspars Melnis told reporters as he held up a piece of dismantled wire.
Vaiciunas said the Baltic states are now operating in so-called "isolated mode" before integrating with the European grid on Sunday. A total of 1.6 billion euros ($1.7 billion), mostly EU funds, have been invested in the synchronization project in the Baltic states and Poland.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was due to attend a ceremony with Baltic leaders in Vilnius on Sunday. The Baltic states have long been preparing to integrate into the European network but have faced technological and financial problems.
The change became more urgent after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, prompting the Baltic states to think they might be targeted. They stopped buying Russian gas and electricity after the invasion, but their energy networks remained connected to Russia and Belarus, which are controlled by Moscow.
That left them dependent on Moscow for a steady flow of electricity, which is essential for factories and facilities that require a reliable supply of power. Several undersea telecom and power cables have been severed in the Baltic Sea in recent months. Some experts and politicians have accused Russia of hybrid warfare, a charge Moscow denies.
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