Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania decoupled from the Russian grid this morning and will connect with the European grid on Sunday. Desynchronization was completed for all three countries by 9:09 a.m., Estonia’s electricity and gas system operator Elering said in a statement, adding the process had been completed “successfully.” There was “no impact on consumers, the systems are stable and secure,”a statement from the company said. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are now operating independently in “island mode”. Transmission system operators Elering, Augstsprieguma tīkls (AST) and Litgrid will conduct frequency and voltage tests before joining the Continental Europe Synchronous Area on Sunday via a link with Poland. “The Baltic power system is finally in our hands – we’re in control,” Lithuanian Energy Minister Žygimantas Vaičiūnas told reporters on Saturday morning. Latvia’s Prime Minister Evika Silina called the move a “significant step” towards “energy independence.” The Baltic States 🇱🇻🇱🇹🇪🇪 have successfully disconnected from the Russia-controlled power grid – this morning at 9:09, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia began operating in autonomous mode, just before synchronizing with the European power grid! This is a significant step toward our… — Evika Siliņa 🇱🇻🇺🇦 (@EvikaSilina) February 8, 2025 The Baltics were connected to the BRELL (Belarus, Russia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) ring grid during the Soviet occupation and Moscow still controls the operational processes today. Leaving BRELL gives Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania more control over their electricity networks and politicians from all three countries have stressed this increases their safety. They are the last EU members to join. “By ending the energy dependence of the Baltic States on Russia, we are leaving the aggressor without the option of using energy as a weapon against us,” Estonia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna said on Saturday after the disconnection. He added that cooperation with Poland, technical assistance from the USA and UK, and funding from the European Union have been “key” to implementing the project. Latvian Member of European Parliament Richards Kols called desynchronization a “historic milestone”. He wrote on X: “Energy independence isn’t just about electricity—it’s about security, sovereignty, and resilience. The Kremlin used energy as a weapon for too long. That era is over.” Today, 🇱🇻🇱🇹🇪🇪 officially disconnected from Russia’s BRELL electricity grid—severing the last structural link to the Soviet past. We are now set to integrate fully with Europe’s power system, where we belong. This is a historic milestone for the Baltic States. Energy independence… pic.twitter.com/ZrZLGJI09D — Rihards Kols (@RihardsKols) February 8, 2025 The decoupling process has taken almost two decades and cost €1.6 billion, with costs mostly borne by the EU. It was sped up by almost a year after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Other EU countries in the region such as Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania synchronized their systems with the European grid between 1995 and 2004.
