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Lithuania to break from Russian grid ahead of schedule

Lithuania seeks to decouple from the Russian power grid in 2024, a year ahead of schedule, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said on Monday.

A EUR 1.6 billion project financed by the EU aims to disconnect the Baltic states from Russia and Belarus in 2025 and connect them to the decentralised power system of continental Europe.

Let’s not leave any opportunities for the aggressor to use energy as a tool of political manipulation”, Gitanas Nauseda said in a statement released after his meeting with EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson in Vilnius.

“The fastest possible coupling to the European electricity grid would increase the energy security of the Baltic States and the European Union as a whole,” he added.

Discussed Europe's energy independence from ?? w/@KadriSimson.My main points:
-counting on @EU_Commission support for ?? synchronization w/?? grids sooner than planned,
-removing gas infrastructure bottlenecks, filling gas storages & investing in renewables must be our priority. pic.twitter.com/Qko9V0be8U

— Gitanas Nausėda (@GitanasNauseda) June 13, 2022

An underwater link between Poland and Lithuania needs to be finished and their power grids upgraded before the decoupling from the Soviet legacy grid.

Lithuania installed equipment last year which would allow it to link up to the continental Europe grid immediately if needed, as an insurance policy in case Russia cuts off power earlier, potentially causing blackouts.

The country successfully tested the connection in December, hailing what Lithuania’s energy minister called “greater geopolitical security”.

Test simulation of black start at the Lithuanian power plants, for the first time in history, operated synchronously with @pse_pl. More about it here: https://t.co/0QZ3YY5cvG pic.twitter.com/Vu5s6QQWex

— Litgrid (@Litgrid) December 8, 2021

European Union members Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia’s power grids are working in sync with those of Russia and Belarus, and depend on Russia to ensure stable power supplies.

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