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Baltic States Achieve Electrical Independence from Russia
VILNIUS (Reuters) – Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania announced on Sunday the successful synchronization of their electricity systems with the European continental power grid. This achievement comes just a day after the trio of Baltic nations disconnected from long-standing energy ties with Russia and Belarus.
This significant move, which has been in the works for many years, aims to enhance the integration of the Baltic states within the European Union and improve regional energy security. The transition marks a pivotal moment in detaching from the Soviet-era energy network that had linked these nations to their former imperial power.
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics expressed triumph through a post on social media, declaring, “We did it!” This sentiment reflects a broader jubilation among leaders and citizens alike following this historic disconnection.
The disconnection took place on Saturday, with the Baltic states severing connections from the IPS/UPS network, established during the Soviet era in the 1950s and now under Russian control. Notable was the disconnection of high-voltage transmission lines in eastern Latvia, close to the Russian border, where pieces of severed wire were handed out as mementos to the excited public.
Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s foreign policy chief and an Estonian by nationality, characterized the event as “a victory for freedom and European unity,” underscoring the geopolitical implications of the transition.
Heightened tensions in the Baltic Sea region have been evident following a series of power cable, telecom link, and gas pipeline disruptions between the Baltics and neighboring Sweden and Finland. These outages are believed to have resulted from ships dragging anchors along the seabed, which coincided with the period following Russia’s aggressive actions in Ukraine. Moscow has refuted any claims of involvement in these incidents.
In response to the threats, Poland and the Baltic states have mobilized naval forces, elite police units, and helicopters since a December incident damaged an undersea power connection between Finland and Estonia. Meanwhile, Lithuania’s military has initiated drills to secure the land routes connecting to Poland.
Energy analysts have warned that any further damage to the energy links could lead to spikes in power prices across the Baltics, reminiscent of the height of energy prices during the early phase of the Ukraine conflict.
The IPS/UPS grid represented the last energy connection to Russia for Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, which reclaimed their independence in the early 1990s with the collapse of the Soviet Union. After joining the European Union and NATO in 2004, these nations have openly supported Ukraine, halting electric power purchases from Russia in the wake of Moscow’s invasion in 2022. However, they previously relied on the Russian grid to manage energy frequencies and maintain stability to prevent outages.
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finance.yahoo.com