Baltic states could be separated from Russia's electricity grid by 2025

Estonian state-owned electricity grid Elering's Manager Taavi Veskimägi thinks that separating the Baltic states from the Russian electricity grid can be done by the year 2025, Eesti Päevaleht reports.

"As long as we are part of the united Russian electricity system, the risk of disruption of electricity supply or system dysfunction remains great. We do not accept a situation where the Estonian electricity system frequency is maintained by Russian power plants. This is strategically very important in the current geopolitical situation," said Veskimägi in an interview.

"Russia is also working to reduce the control of the Baltic states over the operations of their own power systems. We also have to work on this. In September, Russia organised an electricity system separation test in its Kaliningrad enclave. The Baltic states must work systematically in order to reduce the impact of Russia and Belarus [on their electricity grids]. This could lead one day to the separation of the Baltic countries' electricity system from Russia, and to them joining the continental European electricity grid. The physical flows of the Russian electricity system disturb the operations of the Baltic electricity market too," said Veskimägi.

Veskimägi said that the earliest realistic deadline for desynchronising the Baltic and Russian grids is 2025.

Elering's manager explained that the cost would not be more than the Baltic countries would have to pay anyway, even without desynchronising. 

"The transition to synchronisation with Continental Europe may be even cheaper than the bills presented by Russia in the future for maintaining our electricity system frequency. Elering has just submitted the desynchronising agenda to the government. The Narva converter station has to be built one way or another, since when the Leningrad nuclear power plant's new unit is completed [located in the town of Sosnovy Bor near St. Petersburg], a "clutch" has to be installed in Narva to make sure the Russian electrical system circuit flows do not excessively burden our network," said Veskimägi.