logo
Baltic nations disconnect from Russian power grid ahead of linking with EU

Baltic nations disconnect from Russian power grid ahead of linking with EU

Japan Times09-02-2025

VILAKA, Latvia –
The three Baltic states disconnected their electricity systems from Russia's power grid on Saturday, the region's operators said, part of a plan designed to integrate the countries more closely with the European Union and boost security.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania disconnected from the IPS/UPS joint network and, subject to last-minute tests, they will synchronize with the EU's grid on Sunday after operating on their own in the meantime.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will speak at a ceremony on Sunday to mark the switch to the EU system, her office said on Friday.
"We've reached the goal we strived for for so long. We are now in control," Lithuanian Energy Minister Zygimantas Vaiciunas told a press conference.
The operators successfully undertook frequency management trials on Saturday, testing the Baltic grid's stability during interruptions such as sudden shutdowns of power plants, Lithuanian grid operator Litgrid said on Saturday evening.
Further trials on Sunday will test the Baltic grid's ability to manage current.
Immediately after disconnecting, Latvian workers used a crane to reach the high-voltage wires in Vilaka, 100 meters from the Russian border, and cut them. They handed out chopped wire as keepsakes to cheering observers.
"We will never use it again. We are moving on," Latvia's Energy Minister Kaspars Melnis told Reuters in Vilaka.
Plans for the Baltics to decouple from the grid of their former Soviet imperial overlord, debated for decades, gained momentum following Moscow's annexation of Crimea in 2014.
The grid was the final remaining link to Russia for the three countries, which reemerged as independent nations in the early 1990s at the fall of the Soviet Union and joined the European Union and NATO in 2004.
The three staunch supporters of Kyiv stopped purchases of power from Russia following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 but have relied on the Russian grid to control frequencies and stabilize networks to avoid outages.
"By ending the energy dependence of the Baltic states on Russia, we are leaving the aggressor without the option of using energy as a weapon against us," Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said.
An army truck was seen at the Rezekne power substation near the Latvia-Russia border, and officers with guns were patrolling the vicinity and in the nearby town, indicative of Baltic worries of attempted sabotage to disrupt the switch.
The Baltic Sea region is on high alert after power cable, telecom links and gas pipeline outages between the Baltics and Sweden or Finland. All were believed to have been caused by ships dragging anchors along the seabed following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russia has denied any involvement.
"The system is stable, the process is happening smoothly, no one is noticing that something changed," Melnis said.
Maintaining a constant power supply requires a stable grid frequency, which can more easily be obtained over time in a large synchronized area such as Russia or continental Europe, compared to what the Baltics can do on their own, analysts say.
Lithuania's energy ministry said it has drawn up contingency plans whereby some heavy energy users, such as factories, could be temporarily disconnected from the grid in the event of power shortages, to maintain essential supplies during the switch.
For Russia, the decoupling means its Kaliningrad exclave, located between Lithuania, Poland and the Baltic Sea, is cut off from Russia's main grid, leaving it to maintain its power system alone.
The Baltic countries spent nearly €1.6 billion ($1.66 billion) since 2018 to upgrade grids to prepare, while Moscow has spent 100 billion rubles ($1 billion), including on the building of several gas-fired power plants in Kaliningrad.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Hiroshima's New Method Over Peace Ceremony Attendees to Be Tested; City Hopes to Avoid Past Criticisms on 80th Anniversary
Hiroshima's New Method Over Peace Ceremony Attendees to Be Tested; City Hopes to Avoid Past Criticisms on 80th Anniversary

Yomiuri Shimbun

timean hour ago

  • Yomiuri Shimbun

Hiroshima's New Method Over Peace Ceremony Attendees to Be Tested; City Hopes to Avoid Past Criticisms on 80th Anniversary

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo People line up to offer prayers in front of the Cenotaph for the Victims of the Atomic Bomb at Peace Memorial Park in Naka Ward, Hiroshima, on Aug. 6, 2024. HIROSHIMA — The Hiroshima city government has changed its method of gathering foreign attendees for its annual peace memorial ceremony following criticisms over which countries are invited. However, whether the new method will be effective remains uncertain amid the complex international situation. For the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings this year, the city has sent letters — not invitations — to all countries and regions with which Japan has diplomatic ties or channels, informing them about the Aug.6 ceremony. Letter, not invitation 'We hope that the decision to attend is based on the understanding of 'the Spirit of Hiroshima,' [which is the idea of working] toward the abolition of nuclear weapons and lasting world peace,' Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui said at a press conference in April when the change was announced. The letters were sent to 196 countries and regions, as well as Delegation of the European Union to Japan, on May 23. The recipients were categorized into three groups: countries and regions with embassies or representative divisions in Japan; countries with no embassies but with permanent missions to the United Nations; and other countries and regions wishing to attend. Russia, Ukraine, Israel and Palestine are a part of the first group. Taiwan, which was not invited in previous years because Japan does not recognize it as a country, was included in the third group. Until last year, invitations had been sent, in principle, to all countries recognized by the Japanese government and to countries that have not signed or joined the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Last year, the city sent invitations to 166 countries. In previous years, the invitations were addressed to the heads of state or ambassadors of each country. This year, the letters did not specify the recipients and only expressed the thoughts of the atomic bomb survivors and the purpose of the event. 'Best possible way' The ceremony was first held in 1947 as Peace Festival, and the city began inviting countries to the event in 1998. Following nuclear tests conducted by India and Pakistan in May 1998, invitations were sent to the seven nuclear-armed countries, including those two nations. For the 60th anniversary in 2005, invitations were sent to countries other than nuclear-armed nations. Since 2006, all countries approved by the Japanese government were invited. However, in 2022, the city decided not to invite Russia — due to its aggression against Ukraine — and Belarus, which supports Russia. Hiroshima sought the Foreign Ministry's opinion and was told that '[inviting Russia and Belarus] is inappropriate as it could lead to misunderstandings about Japan's stance,' according to documents obtained by The Yomiuri Shimbun through a public records request to the city. As the ministry's position was unchanged in 2023 and 2024, and the city did not invite the two nations for three consecutive years. Last year's ceremony drew criticism, as the city invited Israel, which has been attacking Gaza since October 2023. Unlike Russia, whose diplomats in Japan were asked to leave by the Japanese government, Israeli diplomats remain in Japan. A city official claimed that the city's policy 'made sense' under the circumstances, but residents criticized the move as being a double standard. The backlash prompted Hiroshima to make the change. 'We must avoid what happened last year on the 80th anniversary,' a city official said. 'We chose the best possible way.' Each country's decision Given that it will be up to each country on whether to attend, ambassadors from warring areas may gather for the ceremony. At the April press conference, Matsui said the letter did 'not focus on whether they were warring parties but on how to convey our message.' At last year's Nagasaki Peace Memorial Ceremony on Aug. 9, ambassadors from the Group of Seven countries, except Japan, and others boycotted the ceremony to protest against Israel's exclusion from the invitation list. Some twists and turns may be expected depending on which countries decide to attend the ceremony this year. Mixed feedback Atomic bomb survivor Toshiyuki Mimaki, 83, who represents Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), which received last year's Nobel Peace Prize, praised the city's decision as a good solution to avoiding criticism over which countries are asked to attend. 'I hope countries and regions with different ideologies and beliefs gather to reflect on what occurred 80 years ago,' Mimaki said. On the other hand, Takashi Hiraoka, 97, who was the mayor of Hiroshima between 1991-99, said the decision 'lacks initiative.' 'Recipients might be confused about whether Hiroshima wants them to come,' Hiraoka said. '[The change] has made it difficult to convey the city's true intentions, as well as its seriousness, to other countries.'

U.S., China agree on framework to implement Geneva trade accord
U.S., China agree on framework to implement Geneva trade accord

Kyodo News

time3 hours ago

  • Kyodo News

U.S., China agree on framework to implement Geneva trade accord

KYODO NEWS - 5 hours ago - 11:28 | World, All The United States and China agreed on a framework to implement a consensus reached during May talks and reiterated in a phone conversation last week between their leaders, as two-day trade negotiations concluded in London, Chinese state-run media said Wednesday. The high-level meeting was believed to have centered on easing export controls on critical sectors. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described the talks as "productive," while Chinese Vice Commerce Minister Li Chenggang was quoted as saying the two countries had "professional, rational, in-depth and candid exchanges." U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters early Wednesday following the lengthy talks, "We do absolutely expect that the topic of rare earth minerals and magnets, with respect to the United States of America, will be resolved in this framework of implementation." The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed frustration over China's slow removal of export controls on rare earths used in high-tech products, criticizing Beijing for failing to uphold the terms of the Geneva trade deal. China, meanwhile, has accused the Trump administration of imposing export controls on goods such as semiconductors despite the deal, under which the world's two largest economies established a 90-day truce in their trade war and committed to stepping back from their respective triple-digit tariff rates. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who met the press with Lutnick, said the two countries are "working together very closely" to ensure "the implementation goes forward speedily." The second round of trade negotiations, following the first held in Geneva, came after the 90-minute conversation between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday. It was their first known direct communication since the U.S. president's inauguration in January. The Chinese delegation at the London talks was led by Vice Premier He Lifeng, who oversees economic affairs, and Commerce Minister Wang Wentao. As part of retaliatory measures against high U.S. tariffs, Beijing in April introduced export controls on seven types of rare-earth minerals. China mines about 70 percent of the world's rare earths used in the production of smartphones, personal computers and vehicles. Related coverage: U.S., China hold high-level trade talks with rare earths in focus Japan, U.S. eye Ishiba-Trump summit in Canada on G7 margins Japan, EU eye launch of "competitive alliance" scheme to boost trade

Five Nations and EU Urge Trump Not to Impose New Airplane Tariffs
Five Nations and EU Urge Trump Not to Impose New Airplane Tariffs

Yomiuri Shimbun

time4 hours ago

  • Yomiuri Shimbun

Five Nations and EU Urge Trump Not to Impose New Airplane Tariffs

Reuters A picture taken through a telescope shows a silhouette of an aircraft against the sun during a partial solar eclipse in the settlement of Kojori outside Tbilisi, Georgia October 25, 2022. WASHINGTON, June 10 (Reuters) – Five nations and the European Union, as well as airlines and aerospace firms worldwide, urged the Trump administration not to impose new national security tariffs on imported commercial planes and parts, documents released on Tuesday showed. Airlines and planemakers have been lobbying President Donald Trump to restore the tariff-free regime under the 1979 Civil Aircraft Agreement that has yielded an annual trade surplus of $75 billion for the U.S. industry. The documents made public by the U.S. Commerce Department bared concerns over the fallout of possible new tariffs expressed by companies as well as nations such as Canada, China, Japan, Mexico and Switzerland, besides the European Union. 'As reliable trading partners, the European Union and United States should strengthen their trade regarding aircraft and aircraft parts, rather than hinder it by imposing trade restrictions,' the EU wrote. It would consider its options 'to ensure a level playing field,' it added. Trump has already imposed tariffs of 10% on nearly all airplane and parts imports. 'No country or region should attempt to support the development of its domestic aircraft manufacturing industry by suppressing foreign competitors,' the Chinese government wrote. Separately, U.S. planemaker Boeing BA.N cited a recent trade deal unveiled in May with Britain that ensures tariff-free treatment for airplanes and parts. 'The United States should ensure duty-free treatment for commercial aircraft and their parts in any negotiated trade agreement, similar to its efforts with the United Kingdom,' Boeing told the Commerce Department in a filing. Mexico said in 2024 it exported $1.45 billion in aircraft parts, just a tenth of the total, to the United States. The EU said it took U.S. exports of aircraft worth roughly $12 billion, while exporting about $8 billion of aircraft to the U.S. In early May, the Commerce Department launched a 'Section 232' national security investigation into imports of commercial aircraft, jet engines and parts that could form the basis for even higher tariffs on such imports. Last week, Delta Air LinesDAL.N and major trade groups warned of tariffs' impact on ticket prices, aviation safety and supply chains. 'Current U.S. tariffs on aviation are putting domestic production of commercial aircraft at risk,' Airbus Americas CEO Robin Hayes said in a filing. 'It is not realistic or sensible today to create a 100% domestic supply chain in any country.' Boeing said it had been increasing U.S. content in its airplanes over the last decade and its newest airplanes, the 737 MAX 10 and 777X, would have 'more than 88% domestically-sourced content.' The United Auto Workers union, which represents 10,000 aerospace workers, said it supports tariffs and domestic production quotas, adding that U.S. aerospace employment has fallen to 510,000 in 2024 from 850,000 in 1990. 'To safeguard the entire aerospace supply chain across the commercial and defense sectors, comprehensive tariffs and production quotas on several products are needed,' it said. JetBlue Airways JBLU.O opposed new tariffs, however, saying, 'Trade policy should reinforce, not destabilize, the proven systems that keep our aircraft flying safely and affordably.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store