TALLINN - On Feb. 8, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will take a historic step by disconnecting their electricity networks from the Russian grid and temporarily switching to operation in island mode.
The following day, on Feb. 9, the Baltic states will join the continental European frequency area, ending their connection with the Russian electricity grid.
"Synchronization is a milestone in ensuring Estonia's energy independence and security," Minister of Climate Yoko Alender said in a press release on Wednesday. "Just as Estonia's accession to the Schengen visa area, this step also symbolizes our full integration into European infrastructure and ensures that we can independently manage our electricity system in any situation."
An amount of 1.6 billion euros has been invested in the project across the three Baltic states and Poland, with Estonia's share amounting to 298 million euros. The European Union has covered 75 percent of the costs, sending a clear message that the energy security of the Baltic states is important to the entire union.
"Preparations for the energy system have been thorough to ensure the synchronization goes smoothly. With technical systems, there is always a small risk of something unexpected happening, but we have analyzed the risks and prepared mitigating measures," said Kalle Kilk, CEO of Estonia's state-owned transmission system operator Elering.
Estonia's average winter electricity consumption is 1,130 megawatts, with a total of 1,860 megawatts of managed generation capacity in Estonia. All dispatchable power plants are on standby, and there is also sufficient reserve capacity for the winter peak load of 1,600 megawatts. A possible failure of the Estlink 2 cable between Estonia and Finland will not affect synchronization, as security of supply will be ensured also without this connection.
The whole process has been prepared in such a way that consumers will not notice the change. The exchange price of electricity will not be affected by the synchronization, and the high EU co-financing rate of 75 percent allowed network charges not to be increased as a result of the project. Since we will have to maintain the frequency ourselves in the future, the cost of electricity for the average household may rise by an estimated 0.5 cents per kilowatt-hour, or 1.25 euros per month, in the future.
"Residents will not notice the synchronization -- the lights won't flicker, and there is no danger to devices," the minister said. "With major system changes, there are always technical risks, but these exist regardless of synchronization. All scenarios have been thoroughly considered, and there are clear action plans in place to address them."
The synchronization will take place in February, because the BRELL agreement between the grid companies of the Baltic states, Russia and Belarus sets forth the possibility of termination in February of each year.
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