By Bloomberg's Milda Seputyte, Aaron Eglitis, and Ott Tammik:
On the bank of the river Neris across from Lithuania’s old town of Vilnius, a two-story digital clock is counting down the minutes until the Baltic countries sever their remaining ties to Russia’s energy infrastructure.
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, which share a 1,015-mile-long border with Russia and Belarus, have been among the most vocal countries in the European Union about the threat posed by Moscow. Following the invasion of Ukraine, they stopped importing Russian crude oil and natural gas. Now, they’re taking the final step: disconnecting from Russia’s electricity grid.
That will happen on Feb. 8, when the clock in the Lithuanian capital finishes its 100-day countdown. At that point, the Baltics will turn off the six remaining high-voltage power lines linking them to Russia and Belarus. They’ll then operate autonomously for a day-and-a-half before switching to the continental European grid.
In addition to marking the Baltics’ energy independence from Russia, the moment will represent the culmination of a five-year, €1.6 billion EU funded effort to overhaul the region’s Soviet-era infrastructure.
On the bank of the river Neris across from Lithuania’s old town of Vilnius, a two-story digital clock is counting down the minutes until the Baltic countries sever their remaining ties to Russia’s energy infrastructure.
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, which share a 1,015-mile-long border with Russia and Belarus, have been among the most vocal countries in the European Union about the threat posed by Moscow. Following the invasion of Ukraine, they stopped importing Russian crude oil and natural gas. Now, they’re taking the final step: disconnecting from Russia’s electricity grid.
That will happen on Feb. 8, when the clock in the Lithuanian capital finishes its 100-day countdown. At that point, the Baltics will turn off the six remaining high-voltage power lines linking them to Russia and Belarus. They’ll then operate autonomously for a day-and-a-half before switching to the continental European grid.
In addition to marking the Baltics’ energy independence from Russia, the moment will represent the culmination of a five-year, €1.6 billion EU funded effort to overhaul the region’s Soviet-era infrastructure.