Energy, Energy Market, Estonia, EU – Baltic States, Latvia, Lithuania

"I can confirm that we plan to do this on Friday," Beata Jarosz-Dziekanowska, a spokeswoman for PSE, told.

PSE is a member of the ENTSO-E Regional Group Continental Europe and has the right to submit the application. Since the Baltic states do not have that right, Lithuania's Litgrid, Latvia's AST and Estonia's Elering asked Poland's PSE to do that.

Lithuanian Energy Minister Zygimantas Vaiciunas says a decision from ENTSO-E is expected in around six months, a very short period as normally the process takes rather long.

"After the application is submitted, internal ENTSO-E procedures start, and we want the catalogue of technical conditions be prepared in the spring of 2019," the minister told. "We have a very clear commitment from ENTSO-E to issue these technical conditions very quickly."

The Baltic Energy Market Interconnection Plan (BEMIP) High Level Group approved the technical synchronization scenario in Brussels last Friday.

Lithuania's Litgrid, Latvia's AST and Estonia's Elering will by October 11, 2018, submit a joint application for 432 mln euros in funding under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for the first stage of the project.

The total cost of the project, including additional technical solutions, is estimated at around 1.4 bln euros. The EU is expected to cover 75% of the cost.

The synchronization project is expected to be completed in 2025.