Baltic states and Poland to receive over €112 million for energy infrastructure protection

TALLINN - The transmission system operators (TSOs) of the Baltic states and Poland are set to receive a total of €112.5 million from the European Commission to enhance the protection and resilience of their cross-border electricity infrastructure. Estonia will receive €50.9 million of this funding through its TSO, Elering.

The grant from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) is designated for a joint project by Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland to increase the resilience of energy infrastructure against hybrid threats and to enhance the operational reliability of the Baltic electricity system within the Continental European frequency area.

"With this support, Estonia and its neighbors will acquire very specific protection and monitoring solutions for our most critical electricity grid nodes. A more resilient energy infrastructure means greater security for the public, better crisis preparedness, and a faster recovery capability in the event of unforeseen disruptions," said Minister of Energy and Climate Andres Sutt.

The funded investments cover both passive and active protective measures, including the physical reinforcement of infrastructure, enhanced monitoring, and drone detection and countermeasure solutions.

According to Kalle Kilk, chairman of the management board of Elering, this is a significant step in strengthening the energy security of Estonia and the entire region.

"Due to the deteriorating security environment, infrastructure critical for the energy supply needs more protection against intentional damage than before. While complete protection is impossible to achieve, we can significantly improve it with European funding. We can also substantially increase our readiness to repair potential damage more quickly and restore the energy supply," Kilk said.

The successful synchronization of the Baltic states' electricity systems with Continental Europe has been one of the European Union's most important energy security projects in recent years. The current funding decision focuses on protecting and increasing the resilience of the existing infrastructure, taking into account the tense security situation and growing hybrid threats.

With this decision, the European Commission is allocating a total of nearly €650 million from the CEF to support 14 cross-border energy projects across Europe.

The transmission system operators of the Baltic states and Poland submitted a joint funding application in the CEF's 2025 call for proposals. The European Commission's proposal was approved by member states this January, and the grant will be formally finalized in the coming weeks.