The European Commission, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland on December 19 signed a political declaration on the synchronisation of the Baltic states’ electricity grids with Western Europe until February 2025.
Signed in Brussels on the sidelines of the EU Energy Council, the document also commits to accelerate the implementation of the Harmony Link electricity link between Lithuania and Poland and to explore an onshore alternative.
“Operators have been instructed to examine in detail an onshore alternative to the previously planned offshore link. We hope that this will allow us to take final decisions on the implementation of the project next year,” Lithuanian Energy Minister Dainius Kreivys said in a statement.
According to European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson, synchronisation will allow the Baltic States to take full control of their electricity networks, integrate into the European market and strengthen the region’s energy security.
“Today is a historic moment when we mark the significant progress made towards the integration of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania into our internal energy market and pave the way for the completion of the Baltic synchronisation project until February 2025,” she said in a statement.
The EU has allocated more than 1.2 billion euros over the last 12 years to synchronise the Baltic electricity networks with those of continental Europe.
In August, the prime ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia signed a declaration committing to synchronise the Baltic electricity grids with Western Europe until February 2025. Previously, this was planned for the end of 2025. (LRT/Business World Magazine)
