Kaliningrad now in island mode: Baltic states change electricity grid

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Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia successfully synchronized their electricity grids with Western Europe on Sunday afternoon. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda spoke of a historic moment in the presence of journalists, according to Lithuanian TV station LRT. The connection to the Russian electricity grid had previously been cut on Saturday morning. By disconnecting after 65 years, the Baltic states want to become more independent from Russia. For one day, the power grids operated in island mode.

The connection to the European interconnected system (EV) is made via the LitPol Link overhead line between Lithuania and Poland, which was put into operation in 2015. This was built following the decommissioning of a nuclear power plant in Lithuania in order to make the country independent of Russian electricity imports.

Also prepared for island operation

With the changeover, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia will control the frequency of their electricity grids independently, but in coordination with Verbund. Previously, the electricity frequency was regulated centrally in Moscow. Despite the synchronization with mainland Europe, the Baltic states should also be able to remain in island mode for longer periods in future.

Lithuania's president warned of attacks on critical infrastructure on the occasion of synchronization with mainland Europe. The Baltic states are complaining about an increase in damage to submarine cables in the Baltic Sea, which connect them to other coastal states. In view of the accumulation – at least eleven cables have been damaged since October 2023 – it is suspected in the affected countries that Russia could be involved with a shadow fleet of civilian ships.

1.6 billion euros invested

On the Lithuanian side, 420 kilometers of new power lines have been built to synchronize the power grids. Existing lines with a length of 230 kilometers were rebuilt and 13 new substations and transformer stations were installed. According to information from Lithuania, a total of 1.6 billion euros has been invested in the synchronization project, with around 1.2 billion euros having been provided by the EU.

The old lines to Russia are to be cut and dismantled directly this week, the three Baltic states announced.

Kaliningrad now on its own

With the change, the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad was also disconnected from the Russian electricity grid. According to the Lithuanian grid operator Litgrid, it is now being operated in island mode. Russia has been preparing its enclave for the new situation with various tests since 2019. Island operation is considered challenging, as fluctuations in power supply and demand cannot be balanced out by the grid. However, several power plants are to be available in Kaliningrad.

(mki)