Baltic ministers sign energy reserve deal, discuss grid security

VILNIUS - Baltic energy ministers agreed in Riga on Wednesday to jointly strengthen energy system reserve capacities and discussed sharing emergency power grid equipment.

Energy Minister Lukas Savickas and his Latvian and Estonian counterparts signed a declaration under which the countries will jointly assess the need for transformers, transmission towers, generators and other emergency equipment required in the event of threats or failures.

"Joint reserves and an agreement to coordinate actions during emergencies will help ensure a more reliable energy supply for the public, while joint decisions will allow for more efficient and cost-effective strengthening of energy infrastructure security," Savickas said.

The countries' transmission system operators are expected, after assessing their needs, to jointly apply for European Union funding for the purchase and maintenance of reserve capacities.

The ministers also discussed the protection of strategic energy facilities. According to the ministry, the ministers emphasised that drones have "become a new security reality" and that protection against them is an "integral part of critical infrastructure protection at the regional level".

The agreement comes amid growing concerns over potential threats to critical infrastructure. Leaders of NATO's eastern flank countries have warned of possible Russian provocations, while President Gitanas Nauseda has said that critical transport and energy infrastructure in Lithuania could become targets.

Since June, the Lithuanian military has been assisting in the protection of key energy sites, including the liquefied natural gas terminal in Klaipeda, the LitPol Link electricity interconnection switchyard in Alytus, a transformer substation and the Kruonis pumped storage hydroelectric plant.