On 27 May, the agreement on connection of electricity systems to the network of the Continental Europe entered into force. In order to continue advancement to the completion of the synchronisation project by 2025, the European Commission in cooperation with the Baltic countries and Poland has drafted a roadmap on further implementation of the synchronisation project from the political point of view. At the meeting of 18 June 2019, the Cabinet of Ministers certified Latvia’s commitment to continue the synchronisation project and delegated the Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš to sign the political roadmap at the European Council meeting on 20-21 June 2019 together with the representative of the European Commission and Prime Ministers of the Baltic States and Poland.
“From the point of view of both market development and European Union energy security priorities, the closer integration of the Baltic States into the EU’s energy systems is a logical future step. The synchronisation of electricity systems of the Baltic States with European systems will increase energy security of the Baltic States, strengthen participation in the EU Energy Market, and reduce energy dependency on neighbouring countries, Russia and Belarus,” emphasises Ralfs Nemiro, the Minister of Economics.
“The political road map refers to a number of documents approved in recent years, which highlight the crucial role of energy security and the high importance of synchronisation as a strategic objective. In addition, significant work has been done over the last year to implement the synchronisation project, so the political commitment of all parties shows their readiness to complete the project by 2025,” adds R.Nemiro.
In the road map, the parties undertake to maintain their political commitment and support in order to continue without delay the synchronisation of electricity networks of the Baltic States with the European networks through Poland by no later than 2025. Along with the road map, transmission system operators of the Baltic States and Poland are also given a mandate to introduce all necessary measures to ensure successful synchronisation with the European electricity networks and desynchronization from Russian and Belarusian electricity networks.
The road map also provides that the European Commission and the Baltic States will continue the necessary procedures to conclude negotiations with the Russian and Belarusian parties so that desynchronization from Russian and Belarusian systems is carried out without additional risks to the security of their energy systems.
The preparations of the Baltic States for integration of their energy systems into the EU national energy system have been ongoing for several years, with stakeholders carrying out studies on the expected operation modes of the electricity transmission system and associated costs, as well as on the most economically and technically feasible solutions for the integration of the energy systems.
As it was previously reported, the Baltic States have taken a political decision to withdraw from the so-called BRELL energy circle, which connects Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia with Belarus and Russia. Historically, the energy systems of Latvia and other Baltic States have been designed as part of the former USSR unified energy system, so even after the restoration of independence in 1991, the Baltic States maintained the historical electricity transmission infrastructure and still continue cooperation in synchronous mode with Russia and Belarus.