STORY: :: Latvia cuts ties with Russia’s power grid as the Baltics move to link with the EU’s electricity network
:: February 8, 2025
:: Rezekne, Latvia
:: Kaspars Melnis, Latvian energy minister
“It’s a historical moment. First of all, it’s, I would say, from one side it’s finished, the work, but I would say more looking at this just beginning, that we’re going to a new system of Europe, it’s a new start, it’s a new beginning of a new system of working, that’s more independent, more secure, and what’s most important is the system is fully in our hands, our responsibility.”
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania disconnected from the IPS/UPS joint network and, subject to last-minute tests, they will synchronize with the EU’s grid at 1200 GMT on Sunday (February 9) after operating on their own in the meantime.
The grid was the final remaining link to Russia for the three countries, which reemerged as independent nations in the early 1990s at the fall of the Soviet Union, and joined the European Union and NATO in 2004.
The three staunch supporters of Kyiv stopped purchases of power from Russia following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but have relied on the Russian grid to control frequencies and stabilize networks to avoid outages.
An army truck was seen near a technical station, and officers with guns were patrolling the area and the nearby town—indicative of Baltic worries about attempted sabotage to disrupt the switch.
