After successfully coordinating the synchronisation of the Baltic States with the continental European network, the electricity transmission system operators of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland are now planning on strengthening the resilience of their power systems against hybrid security threats. To this end, the operators have submitted an application for European Union funding to support projects aimed at strengthening the protection of critical infrastructure linked to the Baltic synchronisation.
“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 synchronisation projects: strengthening resilience. 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,” Acting Minister of Energy Žygimantas Vaičiūnas told The Voice of Renewables.
“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 neutralisation 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,” says Litgrid CEO Rokas Masiulis.
On 8 February this year, the Baltic States disconnected from the Russian-operated IPS/UPS system, and on 9 February, they successfully connected their power systems to the synchronous grid of Continental Europe. Synchronisation with continental Europe enables the Baltic States to manage their power systems in close cooperation with other continental European countries, ensuring stable and reliable frequency regulation, thereby strengthening energy independence and increasing energy security throughout the region. The Baltic States joined the Continental European network, which serves over 400 million users across 26 countries.
The Baltic and Polish electricity transmission system operators – Litgrid, AST, Elering and PSE – have submitted an application to the European Commission for partial funding from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) to support projects aimed at strengthening the protection of critical infrastructure linked to the Baltic synchronisation.
The total investment for this programme amounts to EUR 382 million, including EUR 82 million planned for projects in Lithuania.
The energy infrastructure resilience programme implemented by Litgrid includes strengthening the physical protection of critical facilities, creating an emergency and crisis reserve for transmission network assets, installing electronic safety systems as well as drone detection and neutralisation technologies, enhancing perimeter security, and preparing to operate in critical mode.
Litgrid’s resilience programme is made up of 13 projects, seven of which are seeking partial EU funding for implementation.
