Baltic states to exit Russia-controlled power grid in 2025

The power transmission system operators (TSOs) of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia have notified Russia of their intention to withdraw from the agreement that integrates their power grids with the Russia-controlled IPS/UPS system, reported Xinhua.

According to Latvian TSO Augstsprieguma Tikls (AST), this transition will take effect in February 2025, when the Baltic states will decouple from the Russian and Belarusian grids to join the Continental Europe Synchronous Area.

According to the notice to Russia, signed by leaders of the three TSOs in Riga on Tuesday, the three countries will disconnect their electricity systems from IPS/UPS on Feb. 8, one day after the expiration of the agreement, and then start a joint isolated operation test.

The synchronization of the Baltic electricity systems with the Continental Europe Synchronous Area is planned on Feb. 9, 2025.

The synchronization project is supported by the European Union (EU) with combined Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) funding of around 1.2 billion euros (1.29 billion U.S. dollars), which is expected to provide up to 75 percent of the project's eligible costs.