Lithuania will be prepared if Moscow carries out its threats to disconnect the Baltic countries from the common electricity system with Belarus and Russia (BRELL), President Gitanas Nauseda has said.
A member of the Russian State Duma on June 22 hinted at such a possibility as a retaliatory measure in response to Lithuania restricting the transit of some goods sanctioned by the EU to Kaliningrad.
“We are ready and we are prepared for unfriendly actions from Russia, such as disconnection from the BRELL system or others,” Nauseda told the Reuters news agency in an interview on June 22.
Moscow on June 20 demanded that Lithuania lift the ban on the rail transit of some goods between mainland Russia and Kaliningrad, saying that the restrictions violated international agreements.
Vilnius says it has not imposed any unilateral restrictions and is simply adhering to the EU-wide sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
BRELL is an agreement between the five countries’ electricity grid operators on technical conditions and rules for managing the systems to ensure the required power quality parameters and maintain a stable and reliable electricity supply.
The Baltic countries are planning to synchronise their grids with the continental European system and disconnect from the BRELL system until late 2025.
Energy ministers from all three Baltic countries called on the EU to speed up the process after Russia invaded Ukraine in late February. (LRT/Business World Magazine)