Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have successfully synchronised their electricity systems with the Continental Europe Synchronous Area on 9 February 2025 at 14:05 today. This is a key milestone for the Baltic States and for Europe strengthening the energy resilience and independence across the region.
“Lithuania's electricity system has been dependent on Russia for 65 years - more than half a century. Now we are closing this chapter for all time: together with Latvia and Estonia, we are joining the continental European electricity grid and consolidating our energy independence. It is symbolic that decades ago the Baltic Way united our nations in the pursuit of independence, and today we are consolidating our independence in the energy sector by disconnecting from Russia and connecting to Europe,”says Minister of Energy Žygimantas Vaiciunas.
“The synchronisation of the Baltic electricity systems with continental Europe is a historic step, like standing firmly with both feet on Europe's tectonic geopolitical plate. It is a new trajectory towards further energy independence and security for our region. This achievement is the culmination of many years of work by Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian energy experts and close cooperation with European partners. Our electricity system is now one with the rest of Europe, providing a solid basis for further energy transformation and the development of renewable energy,” says Mindaugas Keizer, CEO of EPSO-G.
“Today marks the most important day in the history of modern Lithuanian energy. We have been preparing for this step for more than a decade. We have finally become a full member of Europe's electricity infrastructure. Synchronisation is a guarantee of our energy freedom. It allows us not only to manage the electricity system more securely, but also to integrate renewable energy sources more efficiently. This is the foundation of our energy future,” says Rokas Masiulis, CEO of Litgrid.
“The synchronization of the Baltic States with the Continental Europe Synchronous Area is an important step towards strengthening the energy independence and security of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. It also underscores the power of European solidarity and cooperation in building a resilient and interconnected energy future,” says Zbynek Boldiš, ENTSO-E President.
The synchronisation enables the Baltic States to manage their electricity grids in close cooperation with all other Continental European countries, with stable and reliable frequency control, significantly enhancing regional energy security. Previously relying on the Russian IPS/UPS system for frequency management, the Baltic States have now joined the synchronous grid of Continental Europe, serving over 400 million customers. All electricity interconnections with Russia and Belarus have been permanently disconnected.
This process follows years of thorough preparation and cooperation among the Baltic transmission system operators (TSOs): Elering (Estonia), Augstsprieguma tikls (AST, Latvia), Litgrid (Lithuania), and their counterparts in the Continental Europe synchronous area. A particularly important role of PSE in Poland was the overall coordination and project management, as a direct neighbour and as the system which physically connects the Baltic States’ systems to Continental Europe. Extensive infrastructure upgrades in the Baltic states and Poland were essential for this achievement. Amprion as Continental European Coordination Centre North supported the planning and coordination of synchronization.
This synchronisation has been strongly supported by the European Union and ENTSO-E, the association of European electricity TSOs. Their contributions included technical guidance, operational and legal expertise.
The synchronisation project is implemented with the co-financing of the European Union.
The Baltic States electricity systems enter Continental Europe Synchronous Area after disconnecting from Russia-controlled IPS / UPS system on 09:09 on Saturday, February 8, and successfully completing the isolated operation test.
