European Interest

Baltic energy systems make the EU switch

Flickr/Andrius Baranauskas/CC BY-NC 2.0
Electricity towers and the wires near Klaipeda, Lithuania.

Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, all members of the European Union since 2004, have finally set a date to become part of continental Europe’s energy system. The three countries are still synchronised with Russia and Belarus.

By 2025, their electricity grid will be synchronised with continental Europe.

“In a true ‘Energy Union’ there is no room for energy islands and electricity has to be able to flow freely across borders. Today we are taking a significant step forward in bringing more security of supply for electricity consumers in the region and in boosting competition on the electricity market,” said Miguel Arias Cañete, European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy on the Nordbalt and Litpol links inauguration ceremony.

According to a press release issued by the European Union-funded project Best Paths, technical barriers often go hand in hand with economic ones. The countries have needed generous investments in power assets to make the transition from BRELL to the European energy system possible.

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