2022-04-14
The war in Ukraine has led to greater public support for Lithuania’s strategic energy projects
The war in Ukraine has drawn public attention to Lithuania’s efforts to become energy independent and to disconnect from the Moscow-controlled electricity transmission system. This strategic goal of the state is supported by 4 out of 5 people, according to a poll conducted in March on behalf of the Lithuanian electricity transmission system operator “Litgrid”.
Lithuania’s ambition to become energy independent and disconnect from the BRELL system is supported by 79% of the population. Compared to the results of the previous survey conducted in autumn last year, support for energy independence has increased by 18%. At the same time, the number of those who disagree and question these strategic objectives of the state has significantly decreased.
“Energy has always been Russia’s geopolitical blackmail tool, while for us it is not only an energy issue but also a national security issue. Lithuania’s strategic energy projects and the pursuit of energy independence have always been and continue to be the subject of hostile propaganda and disinformation. Therefore, public attention to these issues is important not only for the strengthening of civil society, but also for the successful implementation of energy projects,” said the Minister of Energy Dainius Kreivys.
“In the context of the war in Ukraine, energy independence has become one of the most important issues for Lithuania and other European countries. Naturally, the ongoing programme to synchronise the Baltic states’ electricity grids with those of continental Europe has also attracted much attention. The pace of implementation of synchronisation projects that are important for Lithuania as a whole is fast, so the increased support of the public is particularly valuable and important at this time,” says Rokas Masiulis, the CEO of “Litgrid”.
Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Lithuania’s relations with Russia - from culture to industry and energy - have been the subject of intense scrutiny and debate. R. Masiulis believes that this is one of the reasons why today every second person (51%) knows that the Lithuanian electricity transmission system is controlled from Moscow. This fact has already reached a large part of of the public, and more people than ever are aware of “Litgrid” and its partners' activities, with the share of respondents who have heard of the synchronisation projects rising from 59% to 69% in six months.
The increased public focus on strategic change is also reflected in the fact that 58% of respondents are now aware that Lithuania is planning to disconnect from the Russian-controlled IPS/UPS system in 2025 and connect to the continental European electricity grid. In a survey last autumn, 12% less of the population knew this information.
“The programme for synchronisation with the European networks is well underway and is currently being evaluated for further acceleration. Last year, we successfully completed 3 projects: we expanded the “LitPol Link” interconnector for synchronous operation with the continental European grid, optimised the network in north-eastern Lithuania, and carried out a test of the emergency assistance of the Lithuanian electricity system from the Polish electricity system via a synchronous interconnector. After this extremely difficult test, the Baltic states now have a guarantee of security and can operate on the same frequency as Poland if necessary,” said R. Masiulis.
Speaking about the biggest challenges of this year's synchronisation programme, the CEO of “Litgrid” highlighted the isolated operation test of the Lithuanian electricity system planned for September. In addition, “Energy Cells”, part of the “EPSO-G” group, will install by the end of the year a 200 MW energy storage system to provide instantaneous power reserve for isolated operation. Other projects in the programme continue.
“Litgrid” expects to reach the halfway point in the synchronisation programme this year. By the end of the year, 50% of all synchronisation actions should be completed. The full programme is expected to be completed in 2025.
About the residents' survey
The survey was conducted in March this year by “Spinter Research”, a public opinion and market research company, to find out the country’s population’s assessment of the synchronisation of the Lithuanian electricity grid. The survey covered 1007 people aged between 18 and 75 years. The results of the survey were compared with a similar survey carried out in October 2021.
