European Central: The Baltics Becoming Independent From Russian Power Grid
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The Baltic nations are known for working together and they continue to develop this relationship. This time, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are working together in order to disconnect from the Russian power grid. This has been a priority even before the Invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. All three nations back in 2018 reached an agreement to become independent from the Russian power grid by the end of 2025. The deadline now has been moved up by 10 months and all three Baltic nations will have their power grids decoupled from the Russian power grid by February 2025. The war in Ukraine however has motivated them to speed up the process in order to avoid Russia using their energy dependence as a weapon against the three European Union member states. All three EU member states will then become connected to the Continental European Synchronous Zone.
Ukraine and Moldova are part of the Continental European Synchronous Zone on an emergency basis due to their energy supply constantly being threatened by Russia. Besides the Baltics, the United Kingdom and Ireland are not connected to the Continental European power grid either. This however is changing and the United Kingdom and Ireland are both working on connecting themselves to the Continental Europe power grid. The interconnectedness of national power grids is considered important in order to reach Europe’s net zero carbon emission objective.
Nuclear Energy
Besides freeing themselves from the Russian power grid, the Baltics along with other EU member states had to become energy independent from Russia and look for other sources of energy. One potential source is nuclear energy. All three nations could construct nuclear reactors and not worry about becoming energy-dependent on other nations, many of which have unstable political situations. Despite oil and natural gas being valuable commodities, many citizens of the nations that export these commodities do not see the economic benefits of these resources. These nations are also likely to experience political instability and economic difficulties as energy prices fluctuate due to a lack of economic diversification.
In the past, Lithuania had two nuclear reactors. Both were based in Ignalina but both were decommissioned. The second was decommissioned in 2009 as a condition of the nation’s accession to the European Union. This is not because the European Union is against nuclear energy as several other member states produce nuclear energy but was instead a result of safety concerns. France continues to be a vocal supporter of nuclear energy and the European Union defines nuclear energy as an alternative to fossil fuel that produces less carbon emissions. The EU respects each member state’s choice to produce or phase out nuclear energy, as the German government has recently done. The nuclear reactor was constructed in a similar way that the plant in Chornobyl was constructed, which is famous for its failure and creation of the exclusion zone in Ukraine. The exclusion area of Chornobyl is 2,800 square kilometers, 7 times the size of Vilnius (400 square kilometers), the Lithuanian capital. This caused Lithuania to go from being an energy exporter to becoming an energy importer. In 2020, 70 percent of energy consumed in Lithuania was imported.
When the second plant was decommissioned in Lithuania in 2009, there was a plan to build a new nuclear energy plant by 2020. This new plant however never materialized. The reason for this is the results of a referendum Lithuania held on nuclear energy in 2012. 62.7 percent of voters who participated rejected building a new nuclear energy plant. It would be interesting to see how voters would vote again if another referendum was held after energy prices have continued to soar. As the referendum in 2012 was nonbinding, this makes it even easier to reapproach the topic of nuclear energy.
There was a plan agreed upon between Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Poland in February 2007 to jointly invest in a new nuclear reactor. Poland however abruptly pulled out of the project meanwhile Estonia and Latvia still expressed interest. In the end nothing materialized however and now the Baltics appear to be pursuing individual energy policies rather than a joint venture. This is partially because the 4 nations could not agree on how to divide the shares in the plant. Originally it was proposed that investors would control 51 percent of the project while the 4 other nations shared the rest. Poland wanted to control 30 percent of the project while Lithuania wanted control of 34 percent of the project which Estonia and Latvia would not agree to. Moving past this, the four nations looked for investors but Poland bowed out after it was clear a majority of Lithuanians were against the project.
As of February of this year, 75 percent of Estonians are in favor of constructing a nuclear reactor within Estonia. The three main reasons for supporting the nuclear reactor are energy security, more affordable electricity, and helping Estonia meet its climate targets. Estonia is expected to have an official plan by the end of 2023 for introducing nuclear energy to the nation.
Conclusion
Disconnecting themselves from the Russian power grid is clearly a top priority for the Baltics and rightfully so due to Russia’s recent actions. These nations however must also find a way to cope with rising energy prices and nuclear energy may be an option. While nations must be careful with nuclear energy, it is still a viable option to secure their energy future. The main challenge is ensuring that EU member states remain committed to safety and that disaster does not strike as it did in Chornobyl or Fukushima. While this will require EU member states to be meticulous with maintenance, the endeavor to pursue nuclear energy to lower energy prices is still practical.
