By Daspina Hasanova
Copyright trend
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 20. Following the
successful completion of the synchronization of the Baltic States
with the continental European power grid earlier this year, the
transmission system operators of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and
Poland are moving on to the next phase: strengthening resilience to
hybrid security threats, Trend reports.
”To this end, the operators have applied for European Union
funding to support projects aimed at protecting critical
infrastructure connected to the Baltic synchronization,” the
information notes.
“The connection of the Baltic power systems to continental
Europe this February was a success, but the work is not over. We
are now entering the next stage of the synchronization projects:
strengthening resilience,” said Acting Minister of Energy
Žygimantas Vaičiūnas. “The security situation in the Baltic Sea
Region remains tense, so measures are needed to protect critical
energy infrastructure from potential cyber and physical attacks. By
supporting and providing assistance to Ukraine, we are learning
lessons from them in critical infrastructure protection. We aim to
make the Baltic Sea Region a model for strengthening the security
and resilience of critical infrastructure across Europe.”
Litgrid CEO Rokas Masiulis added, “We are planning investments
to ensure the security, reliability, and stability of the power
system and energy supply. The use of protective measures is
wide-ranging – from protective barriers and drone neutralization to
measures designed to quickly restore the operation of damaged
infrastructure. We are working together with our partners in
Estonia, Latvia, and Poland – this is not only a national, but also
a pan-European security project.”
On February 8, the Baltic States disconnected from the IPS/UPS
system, and the following day, they successfully connected their
power systems to the synchronous grid of Continental Europe.
Synchronization allows the Baltic States to manage their
electricity systems in cooperation with other European countries,
ensuring stable frequency regulation, energy independence, and
stronger energy security across the region. The Continental
European network serves more than 400 million users in 26
The transmission system operators – Litgrid (Lithuania), AST
(Latvia), Elering (Estonia), and PSE (Poland) – have jointly
applied to the European Commission’s Connecting Europe Facility
(CEF) for partial funding to implement resilience projects.
The total investment amounts to €382 million, including €82
million for Lithuania. Litgrid’s program alone includes 13
projects, seven of which are seeking CEF support. These initiatives
cover the physical protection of critical facilities, the creation
of emergency and crisis reserves for transmission network assets,
the installation of electronic safety systems, drone detection and
neutralization technologies, enhanced perimeter security, and
preparedness to operate in critical mode.
