Lithuania plans to disconnect its power grid from Russia’s to gauge the Baltic country’s ability to sever its last remaining energy link to Moscow.
(Bloomberg) — Lithuania plans to disconnect its power grid from Russia’s to gauge the Baltic country’s ability to sever its last remaining energy link to Moscow.
Network operator Litgrid AB will carry out a test from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday where all connections to Russia’s network will be completely cut. The electricity on the grid will only come from domestic sources and imports from Sweden and Poland.
Lithuania along with Latvia and Estonia have focused on cutting their energy dependency on Moscow by seeking alternative supplies of oil, gas and electricity. While the Baltic region no longer imports Russian fossil fuels after the invasion of Ukraine last year, it still relies on its neighbor to maintain the stability of its electricity system.
“For the first time in history, Lithuania’s electricity system will operate fully independently, so we are taking on responsible preparations for the test and will be ready for all scenarios,” said Rokas Masiulis, the chief executive office of Litgrid. “Consumers won’t notice the test.”
The Baltic nations will benefit from more than €1 billion ($1.1 billion) of EU investment to help them along. They had planned to leave the Russian grid by 2025 but it may be next year already if the test goes well, Energy Minister Dainius Kreivys has said.
To fully disconnect the lines, the synchronization with continental Europe has to take place jointly with Latvia and Estonia, although they both say they need more time to prepare for the switch.
Lithuania’s test will also isolate the Kaliningrad region, Russia’s exclave on the Baltic Sea. Utility Inter Rao have expanded power capacity there, also to be able to operate independently of Lithuania.
–With assistance from Dina Khrennikova.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.