Baltic plug into European electricity network: perspectives of success

Abstract

Implementation of strategic energy projects, such as LNG terminal in Klaipeda, interstate natural gas and electricity interconnections, have terminated infrastructural isolation of the Baltic States and integrated them into a wider European energy market. Despite the aforementioned achievements, the Baltic States stand out as the only EU members, whose electricity systems are synchronised with the Integrated Power System/Unified Power System (IPS/UPS) of the CIS, de-facto maintained by Russia. As the systemic integration into the post-Soviet systems is considered to be a strategic vulnerability, the Baltic States decided to desynchronise from CIS’ power system and synchronise its electricity system with Europe. This became the most challenging strategic project given its length, complicated negotiation process and substantial costs. This article aims to introduce the scope of the synchronisation project and the challenges that Baltic States face. At the end, it is emphasised that synchronization with ECN is the most feasible option among others, but there are three main factors that prevent further progress. These are limited success convincing Poland, endless internal discussion regarding technical aspects and Russian oppositionPolitologijos katedraRegionistikos katedraVytauto Didžiojo universiteta