The war in Ukraine has shown that EU countries should be completely independent from Russia in the energy sector. This was stated by Dan Jorgensen, the European Commissioner for Energy and Housing, at a press conference on the protection of critical energy infrastructure held in Vilnius on Sunday.
Jorgensen said that the synchronization of the Baltic states with Europe on Sunday creates conditions for lower electricity prices in Europe, LRT reports.
“The synchronization was successfully implemented 10 months—almost a year—ahead of schedule. This was achieved through hard work and commitment,” Jorgensen said.
“There is no doubt that energy policy is also a security policy. Unfortunately, today we are in a terrible situation in Europe, where Russia has brutally attacked Ukraine. This affects all of us. First of all, it shows that we must be independent. We have to be 100% independent of energy resources from Russia and its energy systems,” said Jorgensen.
The European Commissioner for Energy and Housing emphasized that today is a particularly important day for the whole of Europe, not just for the three Baltic states.
“1.2 billion euros is a large amount of money. But it is intended for an important purpose for all of us. Synchronization will help the entire region achieve greater integration of energy systems. This will facilitate decarbonization and allow us to become more competitive. We must strive to reduce electricity prices because it will help not only our industry but also our households,” Jorgensen explained.
In total, more than €1.6 billion has been invested in the synchronization project in the Baltic States and Poland, of which about €1.2 billion has been allocated from the European Union.
On Saturday, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia successfully disconnected from the Russian power grid (UES/UPS), which had been operating since Soviet times, and began operating in an isolated mode, and on Sunday, at 14:05, they connected to Western European power grids.
