Estonian PM tells nation to prepare for blackouts if Russia switches off power grid
23/09/2022 07:44
By Andrius Sytas
VILNIUS, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Estonian Prime Minister
Kaja Kallas told her nation that power blackouts are possible if
Russia kicks the Baltic states from the joint power grid, as she
announced a snap defence readiness exercise.
"We must also be prepared for Russia might disconnect
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania from their electricity grid", she
said in a televised address on Thursday evening, according to
the government website.
"It would be wise to be prepared for possible power outages
– that includes public authorities, companies, and every
individual", she added, describing any disruptions as
"temporary".
Almost 3,000 reservists were called to an annual week-long
defence exercise in Estonia on Thursday, but the PM said there
is no immediate military threat to the country.
She called on Russian citizens living in Estonia to ignore
any summons to fight in Ukraine: "do not go, because there is no
turning back".
Thirty years after seceding from the then-Soviet Union and
17 years since joining the EU, Baltic states Lithuania, Latvia
and Estonia still depend on Russia for stable power supplies.
A 1.6-billion-euro ($1.94 billion) EU-funded project aims to
disconnect the Baltic states from their common power grid with
Russia and Belarus in 2025 in favour of the decentralised power
system of continental Europe.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda told Reuters on June
his country is ready if Russia disconnects it from the regional
power grid in retaliation for blocking rail shipments of some
Russian goods to Moscow's Kaliningrad exclave. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N2Y930J
European power grid network ENTSO-E will connect to the
Baltic states' grids within 24 hours if the countries were to be
disconnected by Russia, helping avoid blackouts, Lithuanian
power grid operator Litgrid said in July. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N2YU1YH
"If Russia disconnects us, even today, we would be ready.
Our analysis shows that power supply would not be rationed, no
serious disruptions expected," Litgrid Chief Executive said.
(Reporting by Andrius Sytas in Vilnius; Editing by Kim Coghill)
((Andrius.Sytas@thomsonreuters.com; +370 682 74006;))