Construction, Energy, Energy Market, EU – Baltic States, Lithuania

"The meeting will focus on the progress on the synchronization of the Baltic power grids via Poland and the main tasks for the near future as well as issues regarding the implementation of the submarine Harmony Link between Lithuania and Poland," Aurelija Vernickaite, an advisor to the minister, told.  

According to her, Poland and Lithuania are actively cooperating to ensure that all the necessary work on the synchronization project runs smoothly and according to schedule.

In early August, the Lithuanian government endorsed a list of 14 projects that are necessary for the synchronization and has initiated planning procedures for four of these projects, including the construction of a new submarine cable between Lithuania and Poland, named Harmony Link. 

Vaiciunas then told that the government had until September 10 to adopt an action plan for the implementation of the entire synchronization project. 

It will be a separate resolution setting out actions and measures to be taken not only for infrastructure development, but also for the desynchronization from the so-called BRELL ring.  

In March, the European Commission approved a total of 323 mln euros in funding to all three Baltic countries for the first synchronization stage, including 125 mln euros to Lithuania.

In the second stage, the Harmony Link will be the most expensive project with an estimated cost of around 850 mln euros. Plans also call for building three synchronous compensators in each of the three Baltic countries.

The Baltic grids are still part of the post-Soviet BRELL ring, which also includes Russia and Belarus, and remain dependent on the control center in Moscow and the Russian electricity system.

Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia plan to synchronize their grids with Continental Europe and desynchronize from the post-Soviet IPS/UPS system, known as the BRELL ring, by 2025.