Baltic States Announce Exit from Russian Electricity Agreement

VILNIUS, Lithuania – In a significant move to enhance energy independence, the electricity grid operators of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have officially notified Russia and Belarus of their exit from a 2001 electricity transmission agreement. This decision, announced on Tuesday in Riga, comes as the Baltic nations have already ceased purchasing electricity from Russia, a step taken in response to the geopolitical tensions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The exit from the agreement will take effect on February 7, 2024, with the Baltic systems set to disconnect from the Russian-controlled grid the following day. The operators plan to synchronize their electricity grids with the continental European energy network by February 9, 2025. This transition aims to bolster energy security and ensure stable frequency control for the Baltic states, according to Elering, Estonia’s grid operator. The synchronization plan aligns with a 2019 agreement between the Baltic states and the European Union, which sought to integrate the Baltic electricity market into the EU’s power network by the end of 2025. While Estonia initially advocated for a more gradual transition to avoid potential blackouts, the February 2025 timeline was ultimately established as a compromise. Latvia’s AST chairman, Rolands Irklis, emphasized that the Baltic electricity market has successfully adapted to operate without Russian imports. He noted that Latvia has completely halted electricity trade with Russia and Belarus since the onset of the conflict, marking synchronization with continental Europe as a crucial step toward achieving energy independence.